Taste of Forbidden Desire
by JJLove28
Summary: Hermione made a huge mistake, and now she's paying for it. How? Blackmail, by none other than Draco Malfoy. Now, Hermione must decide between coming clean with her actions, or sacrificing her own happiness to give him what he wants.
1. The Quidditch Pitch

**A/N: This story is indeed pre-HBP, though I could not resist throwing some hints in here and there that are from the book. Just a warning! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

_The Quidditch Pitch_

At the magical school of Hogwarts, anything can happen, and anything will happen. Surprises lurk around even the darkest corners, and it is those surprises that have labeled Hogwarts as a teenage soap opera. Relationships blossomed unexpectedly between unlikely candidates as quickly as you could say _love potion. _Take Ronald Weasley and Luna Lovegood, for example. Who would've expected that a brief meeting outside the Charms corridor would lead to a full-fledged, two month relationship? Two months and still counting, in fact. Funny enough, Ron and Luna had actually surpassed the 'longest relationship' mark out of the majority of the school. Don't be mistaken, there had been a couple of relationships that lasted longer than a couple of months, but the chance of that happening were growing slimmer by the day. After all, what could be expected? A bunch of teenagers locked up in a castle together for seven years; of course they'd want to explore new things, no matter how unforeseen they were.

However, the most startling relationship, in Hermione Granger's opinion, was her relationship with Harry Potter. No one had given a single thought to Hermione and Harry being together, even after an article came out in their fourth year about a love growing between the two of them. No, it had always seemed like Hermione would end up with Ron Weasley, no matter how much they argued. But one day at the beginning of their sixth year when Ron had engaged in what seemed to be a sexual relationship with Lavender Brown, Hermione realized that the two of them getting together would never happen. So, in need of comfort, she turned to her closest friend, Harry Potter. There, a love like no other bloomed, and for once in her life, Hermione was happy. She was truly, unmistakably happy.

It was exactly a year and two months ago to date that Harry had shyly asked Hermione to be his girlfriend. Both were so inexperienced in the field of dating, mainly due to the fact that neither had ever had a real relationship; hell, Hermione had never even been kissed before. It had taken months before they could open up to one another and actual start to act like a dating couple, but nevertheless, they did, and their relationship was stronger than was ever imaginable.

Though, there was one area in which Hermione had not explored yet. That area was, of course, sex. No matter how much 'everyone else was doing it', Hermione could not bring herself to lose her virginity. She just couldn't do it. So, months ago, she had decided that it was her decision and her decision only about whether or not she was going to have sex, and out of this decision came the result of abstinence. She would not have sex until she was married and with someone who she truly loved. Not that she didn't love Harry, mind you; she and Harry and exchanged their 'I love you's' a couple of months ago. She still chose to stick by her own person rule, though. No sex until she was married, end of story. She discussed this with Harry early in their relationship, and he agreed without hesitance. He did not see it as a dilemma, seeing as he was head over heels in love with her.

And still, as weeks turned into months and months turned into a year, Harry never expressed a problem with the situation. Even though sex was all the rage throughout Hogwarts, Harry and Hermione never let it abuse their relationship. They watched too many relationships form and then diminish almost immediately because of sex, and they refused to let that happen to them. Yes, it was best to stay away from all that trauma. At least, for now.

Although, having people like Draco Malfoy skulk about the school did not help them at all. Rumors flew around Hogwarts that Malfoy had been caught shagging all over the school, from the middle of the forbidden third floor to underneath the Quidditch stands. He had no shame, but each and every boy at Hogwarts miraculously admired and adored him for his sex record. Harry had of course denied it, but Hermione could tell that he too was astounded by Malfoy's reputation.

"I don't think highly of Malfoy because of his reputation!" Harry had argued. "It's disgusting! It's a disgrace to all males!"

"So you're telling me that you wouldn't love to sleep around with any girl you'd like?" Hermione had demanded.

"Of _course _I wouldn't." Harry replied with a slight hesitation. "You're all I need, Hermione. You're my shining star."

It was lines like these that made Hermione love him. He was cheesy and he tried way too hard, but it was cute nonetheless. She loved spending time with him and she missed him when she was not with him; so, it was no surprise that she was eager to accept Harry's invitation to meet him on the Quidditch Pitch at six o' clock that evening. She hadn't seen him since lunchtime seeing as she had Arithmancy in the afternoon and Harry had had a detention with Snape after school. Hermione was antsy; she missed her boyfriend. But why had he wanted her to meet him at the Quidditch pitch of all places? Why not the Great Hall or the Head Boy and Girl dormitory that they shared? It was a mystery, and it made Hermione even more excited to find out what he wanted.

"It probably isn't safe to circle the Quidditch pitch alone." A familiar voice drawled.

Hermione turned; sure enough, the voice belonged to the one person who she'd dive into the lake just so she wouldn't have to talk to him. Her arch-nemesis, the infamous sex god of Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy.

"And why not?" Hermione retorted.

He nodded towards the forest. "There are strange creatures in there. You never know what might stray too far and attack an unsuspecting mudblood. What a shame _that _would be."

"So what are you doing out here alone, Malfoy?" Hermione demanded.

He shrugged. "Oh, just going for an evening stroll is all."

"Well, keep strolling." She said, hating Malfoy with every fiber in her being.

"You know Granger, I think we got off to a bad foot all those years ago." Malfoy said, crossing the field towards her. "I mean, it's our seventh year. Surely you can put all of your hostility and resentment behind you."

"My … _my _hostility? _My _resentment?" Hermione stuttered, unbelievably.

"Yes, that's what I said." Malfoy replied. "I don't really understand where it all comes from, but I'd really like it if you could put it away. I don't need you to give me a stressful year."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE IT COMES FROM?" Hermione cried, angrily. "How about you cursing Ron in our second year? Or cursing me in our fourth? Or holding me and my friends' hostage like a bunch of prisoners during our fifth year? Or calling me a mudblood for seven years and making my life a living hell? Does that help your thick skull understand a little better?"

"Tsk tsk." Malfoy said. "See? So much hostility. Let it go, Granger. It doesn't do the soul any good."

"Go fuck yourself, Malfoy." Hermione retorted through gritted teeth.

"Shh." Malfoy hushed, pressing a finger to Hermione's lips. "You mustn't utter such foul language. What kind of a role model is that for the younglings?"

Hermione stood paralyzed to the spot. Why was Draco Malfoy touching her?

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She whispered.

He stared at her, unknowingly gazing into her deep, brown eyes. _What _do _I want? _He asked himself. He suddenly became aware of the situation. He was standing not even two feet away from Hermione Granger, holding his finger to her mouth and staring into her eyes.

He took a quick step back. "I want what any man wants." He replied hastily. "A couple chicken legs and a heap of mashed potatoes. Good day, Granger."

And with that, he took off towards the castle without another word.

_What just happened? _Hermione asked herself. She was confused. Malfoy _hated _her, and she returned those feelings. But what was that, then? She felt tension, but not hateful tension – a different kind of tension that she could not place. Was it possible that maybe, just maybe, she and Malfoy could set aside their past feelings for one another and possibly become … civil?

"Hey Hermione." Harry greeted as he pranced towards her and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

Startled, Hermione said, "Hey, Harry!"

"I passed Malfoy on the way here." He said disgustedly. "Seriously, every time I see him, I just want to curse him."

"Don't we all." Hermione replied quietly. "So, how was detention?"

"Oh, same as always." He answered bitterly. "But this time, I got to scrape cow dung out of tiny little bottles. I don't even want to know why Snape has cow dung in the first place. Either way, it was sickening."

"You washed your hands, I hope?" Hermione asked, backing away slightly.

"Of course I did." Harry smiled. "I wanted to be peachy clean for this."

Hermione grinned. "For what, exactly?"

Harry grinned back. "Gryffindor!" he suddenly shouted. "Hufflepuff! Ravenclaw!"

Hermione turned to see students pouring onto the pitch, all of them from one of the three houses that Harry had called.

"Harry, what's-" She began.

"Shh." Harry hushed. Hermione fell silent, though she was slightly annoyed that she was being hushed for the second time in ten minutes.

"Hermione, I've told you before a thousand times that I love you." Harry began, taking her hands into his. "And every time, I feel like it's never enough. It never comes out right. It never truly expresses just how much I love you and how much I love being with you."

"Harry, I-"

"Please Hermione, let me finish." He interrupted, nervously. "I just want to shout it out over and over again to the world, and in my books, that means that you're truly special to me. So, I got all these guys" – he indicated the group of students – "to do something for me. And for you."

Giving them the signal, Harry watched as each student, including Ron, mounted their broomsticks and rose into the air, trying to form a sentence. It was so funny watching them all argue as they tried to locate their proper positions; obviously, they'd practiced this before, but poorly.

Eventually, letters began to form. Hermione grinned as Hannah Abbott and Michael Corner fought over a place in the letter A from the first word. So far, the letters M, A, and R were distinguishable. _Mar?_ Hermione thought, confused. Marge? Mark? Mary? Mary! Hermione gasped. _Marry! _

Harry turned to her, then reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a small, black box. Hermione was shocked beyond belief; her eyes swiveled back and forth between the students in the sky (which, 'marry' was indeed now clearly identified as the first word) to the black box in Harry's hand.

"Hermione, I love you." Harry repeated, smiling a small smile. "And I think we should be together forever. So, will you marry me?"

Finally, the last couple of people came together to fully form the question '_Marry Me?' _in the sky. If Hermione hadn't been so stunned, she would've laughed at Colin and Dennis Creevey, who were hitting each other from their positions at the top of the Y.

"I …" Hermione stuttered. She was at a complete loss for words. Marriage? At such a young age? The idea was preposterous! And yet, she could not imagine herself with anybody else. Harry was not only her best friend, but he was her soul mate. They were destined to be together.

Harry smiled at her, squeezing her hand tightly as if to say _I'll always be here for you._ That was enough reassurance for Hermione.

"I will!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck.

The entire 'Marry Me' crew burst out in cheers and applause; in fact, Neville cheered so hard that he almost fell off of his broom.

"Mrs. Hermione Potter." Hermione whispered in his ear as he placed the diamond ring on her finger. "I kinda like the sound of that."

**A/N: Alright, this is obviously coming off as a Harry/Hermione fanfic. This actually surprised me, since I always hated them together. I always thought that if Draco can't have her, then Ron should. But, I took this down a different path and said Harry/Hermione, so sue me. This is NOT a Harry/Hermione fanfic, though! Just the beginning. Look forward to Hermione/Draco, because I can guarantee you that it's coming. Ciao!**

**Be a dear and leave me a pretty little review. Your thoughts mean the world to me.**

**Jessica (JJLove28)**


	2. Unwanted

**A/N: I don't usually do individual thank you's or anything like that for my reviewers, because I like to think that you all know how much I appreciate your thoughts and input, but I have to extend a special thank you to Gyrlfrend. I didn't realize that I was blocking anonymous reviews, so thank you for pointing that out to me!**

Chapter 2

_Unwanted_

A couple days later, everyone in the school knew about Harry and Hermione's engagement, including the professors. They patronized the couple at first, arguing that they were much too young to make that kind of decision. However, in the end they realized that they were happy together and that perhaps them being wed was not so bad of an idea. So, the school grew cheerier and almost everyone (with the exception of the Slytherins) congratulated the joyful couple.

Everyone was also thrilled that the wedding was so soon; at the end of the year, in fact. Harry and Hermione agreed that this was an ideal time; they'd both be graduated from school and prepared to tackle life together, and they couldn't be any more excited about it.

And yet, even with such wonderful news in the air, the Slytherins still managed to be spiteful and cruel. They sneered at Harry and Hermione as they walked by, and Blaise Zabini even had the nerve to start a petition that a mudblood should not be allowed to marry a pureblood. Surprisingly though, Draco Malfoy was nowhere to be seen in these cruel acts. Sure, he laughed as Blaise passed him a petition form, but he did not promote it by helping hand them out or posting them all over the school. It seemed as though he was actually maturing, which was odd because … well, because it was Draco.

So it was no surprise that Hermione did not know how to act one evening when Malfoy approached her. Alone.

"Hello, Granger." He greeted.

Hermione hesitated. "Hello, Malfoy."

"So, you're tying the knot, are you?" He asked with a slightly sardonic tone.

"I am." She replied, defiantly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all." Malfoy said. "It's just, you're a bit young, don't you think?"

"Since when do you care about what I do or don't do?" Hermione demanded.

"I'm not saying I care. I'm just saying that I think seventeen is much too young to be married. I mean, my mum and dad got married when they were our age, and look at them now; practically leaping down each others throats at every spare opportunity."

"Yes, well perhaps that's because your father is currently residing in Azkaban." Hermione shot back.

Malfoy's head turned sharply and a fierce, livid look dawned over his face; however, it disappeared in a matter of seconds. "Is that how you'd like to play, Granger? Below the belt? Fine. Don't say I didn't try with you."

"Don't worry; I wouldn't dare mention an encounter with you." Hermione said. "It would ruin my reputation."

"One day, you're going to need me Granger." Malfoy said, his voice now angry and superior. "Something is going to happen to you, and you're going to come crawling to my feet for one thing or another like the vile little mudblood that you are. And you know what? I don't think I'm going to help you. Instead, I'll probably throw it in your face that your parents are nasty muggles, since that's the game we're playing."

"I don't think you need worry that I come crawling to you." Hermione sneered. "No way would I ever sink to the likes of you, no matter how tormented I am. Good bye, Malfoy."

…………………………………..

"I _hate _him!" Hermione later fumed to Harry, Ron and Ginny. They were all sitting around the small table in the common room that she and Harry shared in the Head Boy and Girl dormitory.

"I know you do." Harry replied, soothingly. He wrapped his arm around her waste and pulled her closer to him. "We all do. But we mustn't let him get to us. We're better than that."

"It's difficult sometimes." Hermione said. "He's just such a maggot! Why couldn't he have gone to Durmstrang when he had the chance?"

"Fate wasn't in our favor." Ginny smiled. "Don't worry about it, Hermione. You're right, Malfoy _is _a maggot. Don't waste your time or breathe thinking and talking about him."

Hermione sighed. "Yeah yeah yeah. We've got much happier things to talk about, anyways."

"What kind of things?" Harry joked.

Hermione punched him softly. "Harry! The wedding!"

Harry chuckled. "I know, I'm just teasing."

"You guys make me sick." Ron said, smiling all the same.

"Yeah, like you and Luna are a treat to be around." Harry replied. "I've never seen a pair show as much PDA as you two do."

"PDA?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Public displays of affection." Hermione supplied, smiling.

"About the wedding," Harry began, seriously. "Ron, I'd like you to be my Best Man."

Ron cupped his mouth as his eyes widened. "Me? Really? Wow, I'd never have guessed it!"

Harry threw a pillow at him. "Hey, I could've chosen … Neville. Yes, I could've chosen Neville!"

Ron snorted. "Right."

"Speaking of that," Hermione said, turning to Ginny. "Ginny, I'd love it if you'd be my Maid of Honor. It'd mean so much to me-"

"Of course I will be!" Ginny exclaimed, throwing her arms around Hermione's neck. "I can't believe you even had to ask!"

Hermione smiled. "Well, that's one thing we can check off of the wedding preparations list, huh?"

Harry kissed her gently. "Yup, one thing."

"I'd better get going, I've got a load of homework to do." Ginny said suddenly.

"Yes, I suppose I'd better go too." Ron agreed. "Snape wouldn't be too pleased if I didn't hand him a satisfactory essay. I shudder to think of the detention he'll give me."

Harry laughed. "Bye, guys."

"Bye!" Ron and Ginny said in unison.

Hermione and Harry smiled as they left the dormitory.

"They're great friends, aren't they?" Hermione sighed.

"Wonderful friends." Harry agreed.

Hermione rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "I'm so glad we're getting married, Harry."

Harry brushed aside a strand of hair on her forehead. "Me too. There's no one else I'd rather marry."

Hermione lifted her head and turned to Harry, placing a light kiss on his lips. As she pulled away, Harry leaned in and kissed her once more, this time with more ferocity than before. Hermione giggled as Harry's tongue traced her lower lip, begging for admittance. Willingly, she obliged, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue to creep inside. Soon enough, Harry gently pushed Hermione onto her back, then crawled on top of her and continued with the kissing. Hermione allowed him go wild in her mouth, while willingly returning the passion. However, soon enough, she began to feel his hands slide up her shirt and slowly make their way to her breasts, which were of course supported by a lacy red bra. This did not bother Harry, though; his hands slid right overtop her breasts and stayed there. Hermione was taken aback by his actions, seeing as he'd never done that before, but she decided to think nothing of it. Even when he began gently messaging them, she ignored it and continued kissing him. However, when the gentleness of his touch got faster and fiercer with each squeeze, she pushed his hands away and said, "What are you doing, Harry?"

Still on top of her, Harry panted from the making out, but smiled. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away."

"Yeah, just a little." Hermione said, her hands being pinned to the couch by Harry's.

"Actually, no, I'm not sorry." Harry said. "We're getting married in a few months, Hermione. I think that at least until then, we can stand to have some fun. Don't you?"

Hermione was confused. "What kind of fun?"

"You know," Harry replied, his hands now releasing hers so that they could slide up her back and make their way to the clasp of her bra. "Pleasurable fun."

He unhooked her bra and went to pull it away altogether, but Hermione hit his hands away and pushed him off of her.

"Harry!" She exclaimed. "What the hell?"

"What?" Harry cried. "You can't blame me! You're so beautiful, Hermione. Sometimes I can't help the feelings that come over me."

"Well, try harder." Hermione said, reaching under her shirt to do up the clasp that he had unhooked.

"Don't tell me you're angry with me!" Harry cried.

"I've expressed to you time and time again that I'm not ready to do anything yet!" Hermione shouted, angrily. "And here you are, my fiancé, completely disregarding my wishes!"

"I wasn't hinting to have sex with you!" Harry yelled. "I just wanted to at least go past first base!"

"First base?" Hermione cried, outraged.

"Yeah. You know … making out."

"And what was wrong with making out?" Hermione demanded. "Am I suddenly undesirable to you?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "I love kissing you! But kissing gets boring after awhile. I want to try new things. I want to-

"Do what everyone else is doing?" Hermione supplied, bitterly.

Harry blushed. "Well, yeah."

"I'm _not _your experiment doll!" Hermione cried. She stood up, straightened her clothing and raced out of the common room, leaving Harry to be dumbfounded behind her.

On her way out, Hermione passed Ginny.

"Hey, I just forgot my book-" Ginny began. "Er, are you okay, Hermione?"

"I'm fine." Hermione shot back angrily. "Talk some sense into him, will you?"

She continued to storm down the corridor, with Ginny watching her confusedly. "They were _just _okay." She said to herself, shaking her head as she walked into the common room.

Meanwhile, Hermione made her way all the way to the Gryffindor tower, where she demanded that the Fat Lady allow her admittance.

"The password is blubber skin!" Hermione shouted, irately. "And of course I would know, I _am _Head Girl."

"Alright already, go in, go in." The Fat Lady said, taken aback by her abrupt rudeness.

"Ron!" Hermione shouted as she climbed through the entrance hole. "Ron, where are-"

"Hermione?" Ron asked, coming into view. "What on earth are you doing?"

"I need to talk to you!" She demanded, plopping herself down on the nearest couch and scaring away a couple of first years.

"What about?" Ron asked concernedly. He took a seat beside her.

"About Harry. He completely disregarded my wishes today! I've told him time and time again that I am just not ready for sex, nor will I be until I get married! And what does he do? He puts a move on me! A move, Ron!"

Ron laughed.

"Are you _laughing _at me?" She said, stunned.

"Indeed I am." Ron replied, still laughing. "I mean, how dare your fiancé put a move on such a beautiful woman! The nerve of him!"

Hermione stared at him for a moment. "What are you getting at, Ron?"

"Harry's a boy, Hermione." Ron said. "Every boy longs for some action every now and then. I'm sure Harry has long before now, he just hasn't said anything for fear of ruining your relationship."

Hermione remained quiet for a moment. "Why wouldn't he tell me if that's how he truly felt?"

"For the reason I just said!" Ron exclaimed. "Give him a break, Hermione. You're gorgeous, he can't help himself. I'm sure that no matter what you want, he'll do it, because that's how much he's in love with you."

Hermione smiled. "You're good at this listening thing, you know that?"

Ron grinned arrogantly. "Yes, well I _am _a Weasley."

Hermione laughed. "I'd better go straighten things out with Harry, then. See you, Ron."

"Later Hermione."

Hermione raced out of the Gryffindor common room and down the several flights of stairs towards her dormitory. She was now excited to make up with him; after all, this had been their first fight. And she was sure she could bend the rules maybe just a little. So what if he wanted to go up her shirt? That was kid's stuff. Yes, she would let Harry have his fun. Who knows, maybe she would end up having some fun of her own.

Beaming, she quietly opened the door to her dormitory, hoping to surprise him with her new, cheerful attitude. However, what she saw was far beyond anything that she could ever even begin to imagine.

**If you liked, then review. If you didn't ... well, review anyways!**

**Jessica (JJLove28)**


	3. A Roll In The Haystack

**A/N: Okay, I know it's a bit early, but this would indeed be an 'M-Rated' chapter. Just a warning .. if you don't like, or are not mature enough to handle it, then ... read a PG13 story!**

Chapter 3

_A Roll In The Haystack_

There, on the exact same couch that they had been sitting on not even twenty minutes before lay Harry, atop of Ginny. They were mimicking the position that he and Hermione had been in, only Ginny's hands were wrapped around the back of his head as she jammed her tongue down his throat, and her shirt was strewn over the coffee table as Harry rapidly massaged her breasts, the way he had been doing to Hermione before she shoved him away.

Hermione's jaw dropped open. She was speechless. She could feel her heart pound to its maximum before falling out of her body and shattering on the floor in front of her.

Just as Harry went to undo Ginny's bra, Hermione quietly closed the door and took a giant step backwards. She could not stand to watch. She could not stand to interrupt. The humiliation! The _deception! _It was more than she could bear. Turning, she took off down the corridor, racing by passing students who seemed as though they did not have a care in the world. She ran up the stairs, forcing her legs to take her as far as they could. She zoomed past professors and whizzed past students, not paying any of them a single thought. She ran, she ran until she could run no more. High, as high as the various flights of stairs would go, she came to the Astronomy Tower. She did not stop running, though. She ran straight, across the Tower, not even watching where was going –

_BAM!_

Hermione was taken by surprise as she flung backwards, landing on the floor. The cause of her fall also fell by the impact of the crash, and she could not see the person who she had collided with.

"I'm sorry!" Hermione gasped, panting from the long journey to the Tower. "I didn't see, I wasn't watching where I was-"

"Yes, obviously you weren't." The voice drawled as he sat himself up.

"Malfoy!" Hermione exclaimed. "What are you … no, I don't care. I have to go, I have to leave!"

She sat herself up as fast as she could, Malfoy following her lead.

"Granger, what the hell is the matter with you?" Malfoy demanded.

"Leave me alone!" She cried. "I need to go! I need to _leave!_ I have to get out of here!"

"Calm down for a second!" Malfoy exclaimed, shocked by her odd behavior.

Suddenly, Hermione ran into his arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I have to go." She said, though it was hardly distinguishable through the flowing of her tears. "I have to leave."

Malfoy's eyes widened and he had the sudden instinct to shove her away; however, her pathetic appearance made him take pity on her, and he awkwardly patted her on the head. "What _happened, _Granger?"

"I … I don't want to talk about it." Hermione sniffed through her tears. "I just want to forget it … get it out of my mind … make it disappear."

"Make _what _disappear?" Malfoy exclaimed, frustrated by her lack of information.

"Malfoy, do you think I'm undesirable?" She suddenly asked.

Malfoy stared down at her, his eyes widening to their extreme. "What?"

"Do you think I'm undesirable?" She repeated.

After all, that's what she'd have to be. Why would Harry cheat on her if she wasn't? Was it only the sex matter that was important? They were engaged, for goodness sake! Was he going to run into the arms of another woman every time they had a problem?

"You're … you're not … all bad." Malfoy stuttered uncomfortably. What was he supposed to say to that?

Hermione stared at him, suddenly seeing him in a new light. He was here, standing before her, somewhat comforting her. But why? That was what her fiancé should've been doing, not her arch-nemesis. But no, her fiancé was off horsing around with another woman. The only person here for her was Malfoy, much to her astonishment. So Harry didn't think she had a wild side to her? She'd show him wild, alright.

Suddenly, Hermione threw her arms over Malfoy's shoulders and her hands glided to the back of his head, pulling him towards her. Without warning, her lips crashed into his, and her tongue did not even bother asking for entry; instead, it pried his lips open and invited itself inside. Her tongue thrashed around inside Malfoy's mouth, starting a raging war with his own.

After a few moments, Malfoy pulled away. "What the fuck was that, Granger?"

Hermione stared up into his glistening gray eyes. One single tear escaped and trickled down her cheek. "I want to be wanted, Draco."

"You are, Granger. I'm just not the person to come to." He said softly.

Hermione hung her head, wiping the tear away. Malfoy watched her; watched how pathetic she looked. But somewhere deep down, she finally had that craving that everyone else had gathered years ago. Who was he to deprive her of fulfilling it? Draco Malfoy, sex god of Slytherin? What a story to be told to the other Slytherins; _I banged the Gryffindor virgin. _It was beautiful.

She looked up into his eyes once more, and noticed that the gray danced with longing. With desire. With _passion._"Malfoy, you're right. I-"

All of a sudden, Malfoy cupped Hermione's face in his hands and continued the same violent battle of the tongues that they had been engaged in only seconds before. His hands fell to her shoulders and shoved her harshly backwards until her back slammed into a cold, stone wall.

Hermione pulled away. "Ouch, Malfoy!" She exclaimed.

He pulled her slightly forwards and slammed her back once more.

She slapped him.

He pushed her.

They began kissing once more, this time more violently than ever. He kissed so differently then Harry; with Harry, it was gentle, as though he thought she was a delicate little flower and he was afraid he'd hurt her. But with Malfoy, it was all about a vicious battle for dominance, neither caring if the other got hurt in the process. Hermione did not seem to mind, though; her thoughts were only on not backing down, not giving in to Malfoy's superiority.

He pulled her forward once more, but this time threw her into the pile of hay that lay stacked in a corner. It softened her fall, and when Malfoy dived on top of her, she forced him aside and instead straddled him so that she was on top. Complete and total dominance.

Turned on by this demand for supremacy, Malfoy clutched Hermione's upper arms roughly and pulled her down to kiss her once more. Their tongue's had no limit, thrashing about as if there were no borders.

Then, suddenly, the moment of truth came. Malfoy grabbed her robes and pushed them off of her, then did not do anything as he waited for her to call it quits. As much as her mind told her to though, she didn't. All she could think of was Harry. Her fiancé. The man who she was in love with … fooling around with her best friend. The thought caused her stomach to churn. No way would a boy, even if he _was _her fiancé, treat her in such a foul, impertinent way. She would show him, she would make him pay …

Quickly, as if she were being rushed, she fiddled with his belt, undoing it and whipping it off of him.

"I know this is your first time." He said quietly, holding her arms so she would stop for a moment.

"It is not!" She cried, lying through her teeth.

He looked at her skeptically.

"Okay fine, it is." She said, bashfully. "But I want to do this, I do. Don't ruin it with talk."

Before he had a chance to say anything, her lips smashed into his once more. He tore his shirt off and then reached for the bottom of hers; and, with a slight pause of hesitation, lifted it up and over her head, revealing her in the same red lacy bra that she had been wearing while Harry had been touching her.

Casting Harry out of her mind, Hermione arched her back, waiting for him to undo the hooks. Gazing intently at her, he did. Her bra fell to the side, divulging mountainess breasts that could make even Pansy Parkinson have a run for her money.

After kissing her for a while more, his kisses trailed down to her breasts, where his tongue stopped to explore. Hermione arched her back again, which Malfoy took as a clear signal to continue with what he was doing. His tongue traced around the nipple before retreating back into his mouth so that his teeth could take a bite.

Hermione jumped slightly, unprepared for this. It felt so good, though; the pain and roughness of Malfoy's ways only made her yearn for more. She reached her hands down to his pants, then slowly unbuttoned them and began to pull them down. After they were shunned aside, he reached his hands under her skirt and felt the lacy material of her panties before pulling them down. Now, they were only left in limited clothing, Hermione in a skirt and Draco in his boxers.

Malfoy placed his hands on her hips as his lips searched for hers, only to find them and continue the battle for dominance. After a few moments, his finger touched her leg and slowly slid upwards towards her inner thigh. He rubbed her thigh, causing her to close her eyes and fall back, enjoying the sensual feeling.

"Are you ready?" He whispered.

She nodded, bracing herself.

Then, without a single warning, he inserted his finger into her opening, causing her to jump once more in surprise. He did not stop though, nor did she ask him to. His finger explored as she squirmed around in the haystack, thoroughly enjoying this newfound feeling of guilty pleasure.

Suddenly, Hermione could not take it anymore. She reached for his boxers and pulled them down without sparing a thought, revealing his hardness for the first time.

"I want it, Malfoy." She whispered. "I need it, now."

Nodding, he withdrew his finger and began kissing her once more. He rolled over on top of her, and after a few moments of kissing, he plunged into her, sending a searing pain through her vagina.

She winced, and he said, "Should I stop?"

"No!" she cried, digging her fingernails into his shoulder blades. "Don't stop."

Doing as she commanded, he continued to push inside of her, going further and further in with each thrust. Eventually, the pain became bearable, and she almost craved it. Digging her fingernails further into his back, she began swaying her hips with him, moving along with his every thrust. Soon enough, his plunges grew quicker and his thrusts grew harder, much to both of their delights.

Hermione moaned as his pace quickened, and she began to shake uncontrollably. He pounded into her and her moans grew louder. Only moments later, she let out a yell of immense pleasure; she had reached her climax.

What seemed like an eternity later, both collapsed in the haystack, beads of sweat dripping down their foreheads. They panted as though they had just run a marathon, and Hermione had to clutch the hay to stop her body from aching for more.

"I …" Malfoy began. He seemed to be at a complete loss for words. "That was amazing, Granger."

Hermione nodded; she was so stimulated that she could not bring herself to say anything. That _was _amazing! She had always envisioned her first time, but no matter how hard she tried, it was nothing like this. Malfoy was not soft or gentle at all, and yet, he was in a sense. He checked every so often, even if it was just with a meaningful glance, to make sure that she was okay and that she was still willing. She could not believe that of him, not at all. But the experience … the experience was incredible. Absolutely incredible.

"I … I'd better go." Hermione said, reaching for her clothes and putting them on quickly. As soon as she was dressed, she stood to leave. Malfoy stood as well, also fully dressed.

"Granger?" He called as she turned to leave.

She looked back, wondering what he would say. But instead of saying something, he leaned in for one last kiss. Their tongues were not as fierce, as though they were tired from the war, but there was still the exact same passion that had been there before.

"Good bye, Draco."

**A/N: Sighs. She gave it up. I think that I must make clear that Hermione was in a very vulnerable state .. she needed comfort, and the only person there for her was Draco. It was not her out of character; if it had been any other time, she wouldn't have done it. I just thought I had to make that clear. Anywho, hope you enjoyed!**

**Review for me and ... well, I can't review for all of you. But I send my love.**

**Jessica (JJLove28)**


	4. A Deal with the Devil

Chapter 4

_A Deal with the Devil_

Hermione clutched the railings as she made her way slowly down the main staircases. Her mind was racing from what had just happened; what _had _just happened? She had lost her virginity. It was unbelievable. Hermione Granger, Miss Wait-For-Marriage, had lost her virginity. But not only had she done so, she had lost it to Draco Malfoy. She hated Draco Malfoy! Why, _why _did she do it? She was engaged for goodness sake! _But he cheated on me, _Hermione thought. _He cheated on me with my best friend. _

She could still not get the image of Harry and Ginny out of her mind. It was sickening; it was revolting. Harry had driven her to do something no one ever thought she would do; something that _she _never thought she would do. But had Harry really driven her to do it? Sure, he pulled a foul, immoral stunt, but he had not forced her to have sex with the Slytherin sex god. He had not said 'Hermione, if you'd like to get back at me, by all means go and sleep with Draco Malfoy.'

About halfway down the stairs, Hermione stopped and sat down. Her head dropped into her hands; now, not only could she not remove the image of Ginny and Harry, but she could not stop thinking about Draco and her. Rapid flashbacks showed her kissing him. Him slamming her against the wall. Her slapping him. And them making love. Hermione's mind reeled with what she had done. Just because Harry slept with Ginny did not mean that she could go and do the same with another person. What kind of a fiancée was she?

Tears began to flow from her eyes. Everything had gone from sweet and simple to complicated and despairing in a matter of minutes, and it was too much for her to handle. How could she have done that? How could she have slept with Draco Malfoy? At the time, she had wanted revenge … she had wanted Harry to pay. But now? Now, she felt there must be some other way to get through this bump in the road. She wished she'd never done it. She shouldn't have. And now she would have to pay the consequences. Unless … well, unless Harry never found out. He didn't have to find out, did he? If Malfoy would keep his mouth shut …

Hermione sighed. Her life hung on Malfoy's decision, and it terrified her. For now though, she had to face Harry. They had to work this out, together. They had to.

Standing, Hermione raced quicker down the stairs until she reached the fourth floor. She walked slower down the corridor until she reached their dormitory; staring at the doorknob, she remembered the last time she had opened it. She shuddered. Slowly, Hermione reached for the handle and pushed it open, revealing the empty common room. She inhaled deeply. It was time. She strode across the common room and turned into the small corridor that had Harry's bedroom on one side and hers on the other. She turned left, to Harry's. Taking one last long breath, she tapped the door three times.

The door pulled open, and Harry appeared.

"Hermione!" He exclaimed. He was obviously shocked to see her.

"Hello, Harry." Hermione replied bleakly.

"Please, come in!" He said, opening the door wider to allow her admittance.

Closing her eyes, she walked inside.

"Hermione, look. About before-"

"I know what you did." Hermione whispered.

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"I know what you did." Hermione repeated. "With Ginny. I saw you."

Harry's jaw dropped slightly, but he quickly closed it. He remained silent; he had nothing to say. After a few moments though, he had to say something. Anything.

"I'm so, so sorry." He said quietly. "I don't know why I did it. It was wrong, I know. I just … I was so upset over our argument-"

"So you turned to my best friend for comfort!" Hermione exclaimed. "My _maid of honor, _Harry! It's disgusting! It makes me sick! I don't understand how you can be so careless! Harry, we're engaged. _Engaged! _We're to be married, and before it's finalized, you're off having sex with other women-"

"We did not have sex!" Harry cried. "We weren't even close!"

This time, it was Hermione's turn to fall silent. "You … you didn't?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed. "We just made out, that's all! Well, I know making out is still awful, but it's nowhere near as close as-"

"You're right." Hermione said quietly. "It _is _still awful. Kissing, sex, it's all the same. It's disloyalty."

Harry wrapped Hermione in his arms. "I know." He whispered. "I know. And I wish it'd never happened. I suddenly came to my senses though and Ginny and I got into a huge row; she yelled at me for leading her on. Nothing like that will ever happen again, do you hear me? Nothing."

Hermione looked up into his dark eyes. He looked so sorry, so sincere. And here she was, having committed a worse crime than he had. How dare she yell at him for his misdoings with Ginny? She had done worse. She had done much, much worse. If Harry and Ginny had made her sick before, it was nothing compared to the feeling that she was feeling right now.

"I think I'm going to get some sleep." Hermione said, trying to hold back the tears that were fighting to escape.

"Wait!" Harry cried, reaching for her wrist. "Are we okay?"

Hermione did not know what to say. She was still livid with him. He had cheated on her, and he had been the cause of her cheating on him. But nonetheless, she had cheated on him. For that, she was in no place to not forgive him. If only he knew what she had done …

Forcing a smile, Hermione nodded. "We're okay."

Harry beamed. He kissed her lightly on her lips and said, "Good night, my fiancée."

Still smiling, Hermione nodded once more and left his bedroom, heading straight down the corridor towards her own. Once she got there, she closed the door gently and fell into bed. And here she finally let the tears flow. Cascades of tears dripped from her cheeks, wetting her hair and ruining her make-up. But she did not care. She felt like the world's biggest tramp; the Hogwarts whore. How, _how _could she have allowed her vulnerability to commit such a heinous crime? She was a virgin no more. The thing she treasured most, the one thing that had made her feel moral and honorable among everyone else, it was now gone in a quick, careless sex session with the boy who had probably had sex with every girl at Hogwarts. It was gone.

Hermione shoved her face into her pillow, muffling her tears. Rapidly, her life was turning into one of Hogwarts notorious soap opera storylines. And it terrified her.

………………………………………

Thankfully, the next day was a Saturday. Hermione did not need to worry about lessons or homework; she would do it the next day. For now, the only thing on her mind was Draco Malfoy. She could not speak to Harry again until she had spoken with Malfoy. She had to make sure that he would not open his mouth to anybody, if he had not done so already.

So, that morning, she awoke early, much earlier than usual. As she slipped out of the dormitory and quietly made her way down to the Entrance Hall, she could not ignore how eerily silent the castle was at this time. Everyone was still sleeping peacefully, without a care or worry in the world.

Turning right, Hermione headed down a passageway that lead her to a flight of stairs. Descending the stairs, she finally made her way to the dungeons. She silently stole past Snape's office and took the corridor all the way to the end. Turning left, she came face to face with a large tapestry of a snake.

_So this is the home of the Slytherins, _she thought, secretly cursing the tapestry.

"Salazar."

Obeying the utter of the password, the tapestry rolled itself up, unveiling an opened doorway. Hermione smiled; she loved being Head Girl.

Making her way inside, she did not even bother to take in the setting of the empty common room. It was green and cold-like, that was all she needed to know. She crossed the common room and took the left corridor to the boys' dormitories, silently grateful that the Slytherins all seemed to be asleep. Finally, she saw it; the seventh-year boys' dormitory. She could not believe she was here, nor the purpose for her visit. She should not have been there; there should not have been any reason for her to be there.

Hermione quietly slipped inside, then checked each bed for who she was looking for. Gregory Goyle … Vincent Crabbe … Blaise Zabini … a ha! Draco Malfoy, sleeping soundly under the comfort of his green blanket. Wasting no time, Hermione strolled over to his bed and put her hand over his mouth.

Immediately, he awoke, grasping her wrist but not moving it aside. His eyes widened with the shock of waking up to a Gryffindor in his bedroom.

Hermione mouthed _come with me. _As she removed her hand, Malfoy obediently got out of bed and followed her down to the common room.

"Come back for more?" Malfoy smirked as he plunked himself down on a comfortable looking sofa.

"Fuck you, Malfoy." Hermione hissed. "You took advantage of me last night! I was in a state of vulnerability and you took full and complete advantage of me!"

"Ex_cuse _me!" Malfoy demanded, outraged. "You were the one who demanded it! You were the one who said that you wanted it. That you _needed _it!"

"I felt helpless!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Don't give me that helpless, vulnerable bullshit." Malfoy spat. "You knew full well what you were doing last night, and it was purely for revenge."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but having no response, she quickly closed it.

"But why?" Malfoy asked, thoughtfully. He touched his chin as though deep in thought. "Why would the mudblood seek such comfort in me, of all people? Surely it could not be problems with the boyfriend. After all, he _is _your fiancé. I couldn't imagine any problem that the two of you could have-"

"He cheated on me." Hermione whispered. "With Ginny Weasley."

"Ah, he cheated on you!" Malfoy repeated. "But he couldn't have; no, not when the two of you are so close and so mature for marriage."

"Shut up, Malfoy." Hermione warned. "He did. He wanted to 'have some fun' with me, and I didn't, so he sought for what he was looking for in Ginny instead."

"So he shagged Weasley's sister?" Malfoy asked. "Nice."

"He did not!" Hermione cried. "He just made out with her!"

Malfoy stared at her. "So let me get this straight. He only kissed the kid, so you felt that the best way to get back at him was to have a nice little roll in the hay with me?"

"I thought he had slept with her when I did what I did with you." Hermione replied softly. "Believe me, I was astounded to find out that he hadn't."

"And how do you know he hadn't?"

"He told me, and I believe him!" Hermione exclaimed, obviously insulted that Malfoy dare ask such a question. "Unlike Slytherins, we Gryffindors know honesty when we see it."

"Did you trust him when he laid his filthy hands on your best friend?" Malfoy asked.

Furiously, Hermione raised a hand to slap him. He was too fast for her though; as she swung, he ducked and missed the blow.

"I can't believe I let you touch me." She whispered heatedly.

"And yet, you cannot stand here before me and tell me that you did not truly enjoy it." Malfoy smirked.

"I feel sick with myself." Hermione spat. "You took from me the one thing that I treasured. And for that, you're pleased? You're satisfied with yourself?"

"You wanted it, Granger." Malfoy retorted. "Who was I to deny you? I thought of it as a chance to take the mudblood's innocence, a chance to brag about it later. Do you have any idea how much fame I'll get from this? How much glory and admiration my fellow Slytherins will show towards me? I shagged the Head Girl. For that, I'll be honored."

"You're sick." Hermione whispered. "Malfoy, you cannot let this leave the room. You cannot tell anyone about it. I did not tell Harry, and if he ever finds out, our relationship will be over. Do you want such a thing on your conscience?"

"You did not let me finish, Granger." Malfoy said. He rose from the couch, towering over Hermione as he stood only a few inches away from her. "That was what raced through my mind before anything had happened. But afterwards? Granger, you were amazing. You made me feel something that I had never felt before."

"Don't." Hermione said quietly. "Please don't."

"I craved you. I have been with a lot of women, and it was like, 'okay, let's do it and get it over with'. But with you? With you, I longed for more. I did not want it to end. I needed you as much as I know you needed me."

Hermione shook her head. "No. I didn't need you. It was a _mistake, _Malfoy. It never should have happened, nor will it ever happen again."

"You basically used me, Granger!" Malfoy cried. "Did you not think of it that way? Did you think, 'Alright, Malfoy will be easy to get a shag out of'? It doesn't work that way! You used me to settle your own personal score."

"You're right, I didn't think of it that way." Hermione answered. "And I'm sorry Malfoy, I am so, so sorry. But you mustn't let word of it leave your lips. You can't, or I will be ruined."

"And what will I get out of this?" Malfoy asked. "You expect me to do such a big favor for you and get nothing in return?"

"There is nothing I can offer you!" Hermione cried.

"Oh, but there is." Malfoy said. Without warning, he placed both hands on Hermione's face and forced a kiss on her. His tongue forced her lips open, seeing as she would not give in so easily. However, weakness soon overcame her and her mouth opened, permitting Malfoy's tongue to slither inside. Soon enough, they were engaged in the same fierce battle that they had begun last night, only this time there seemed to be more ferocity involved. The passion was overwhelming, and Malfoy once more moved forward, causing Hermione to bang into the nearest wall. This seemed to bring her to her senses; she shoved him off of her, her eyes widening with disbelief.

"Tell me you're not bribing me!" Hermione cried.

"I told you." Malfoy said. "I craved you. I still do. You can't expect me to just have a taste and nothing else. I can't do that, Granger."

"I refuse to succumb to any sort of enticement from anyone, let alone you." Hermione spat.

"Fine." Malfoy said softly. "Do not be surprised if you go back to your dormitory and your beloved fiancé has rejected you forever."

Hermione fell silent. She could not believe this was happening. Why did she have sex with Malfoy? Who would've thought that it would lead to this much turmoil? _Malfoy is the devil in disguise, _she told herself. _Never trust the devil. _This was her fault; she had brought it upon herself. But Malfoy had made her feel so wanted last night; he had made her feel alive. There had not been one part that she did not enjoy, no matter how much she tried to tell herself otherwise.

_But I'm engaged to Harry! I can't do this! _

_You have no choice. If you don't, Harry will leave you. _

_If I do, he will leave me anyways. _

_But he may never find out if you agree to Malfoy's wishes. _

_I can't take the chance that he won't! _

_And if you don't do it? He will find out anyways. You must._

_I must, _Hermione told herself. _I have no choice. _

She looked up into Malfoy's cold, gray eyes. A single tear slid down her face. Softly, she said, "What do you want me to do?"


	5. The Divination Tower

**A/N: I establish a clear warning as of now. I would like to think that my readers have followed me this far because they've enjoyed the story and they probably expect M-rated chapters, BUT I still feel that it's my duty to warn you. So .. consider yourself warned. You may now continue!**

Chapter 5

_The Divination Tower_

For the next couple of days, Hermione was a ball of nerves. Things seemed to be set straight with her and Harry; at least, Harry thought they were. Hermione had not spoken to Ginny, though, fortunately for her. She was afraid that she'd hurt Ginny if being confronted by her; so, it was best that she stay away.

It was so difficult trying to retain her relationship with Harry when she had the weight of Draco Malfoy on her shoulders. She flashbacked to when Malfoy had made his demand of her in his common room.

_"Meet me in the Divination Tower at twelve o' clock Wednesday night." _

She knew what he wanted. And she knew that she had to give it to him if she wanted her relationship with Harry to be salvaged. But the worst thing of the whole situation was that Hermione did not entire not want it. She kept remembering that night in the Astronomy Tower; how gentle he was, yet rough at the same time.

_You don't want it! _She told herself. _You don't want it, but you have no choice. It is binding and it is to save you and Harry, that's all. _

So, when Wednesday came, it was no surprise that Hermione's stomach was tied in knots. She still had not decided whether or not she was going to go to the Divination Tower. After all, going meant that Malfoy won. But not going meant that she lost. Either way, she was screwed.

"Hermione?" A meek voice called.

Looking up from her seat in the library, Hermione came face to face with the one person she wanted to see least of all; Ginny Weasley.

A quick impulse told Hermione that she could not handle facing her right now; so, she stood up and left the library without a single word. Stupidly, Ginny followed.

"Hermione, wait!" She cried.

Hermione turned around swiftly, suddenly realizing how much taller than Ginny she was.

"What on earth do you think you can say to me that will compensate for what you did?" Hermione demanded.

"It took two people for it to happen!" Ginny exclaimed. "You can't place all the blame on me!"

"And you think that makes it okay?" Hermione cried, outraged. "You think because Harry was also involved that you should not be faulted in the least?"

"That's not what I said." Ginny whispered.

"Yeah, but it's what you thought." Hermione spat. "You have no idea how much I'd love to hit you square round the face-"

"Hermione, why don't you try and be mature about this?" Ginny shouted. "I apologized, okay? What more do you want from me?"

"I want you to admit that you want my fiancé!" Hermione cried.

"But-"

"There _is _no 'but'!" Hermione said. "It's either yes or no, Ginny. Do you want Harry or don't you?"

"Fine, I do!" Ginny blurted out. "I've wanted Harry since the day I met him, and I want to kill myself every day because _you _got him first! When he touched me, everything finally felt right in the world! I felt alive-"

_SMACK!_

Hermione stuck true to her word and slapped Ginny round the face.

She immediately clutched her cheek, staring at Hermione in horror. Hermione had never seen her angry before, but now, she could almost see daggers dancing in Ginny's eyes. "You're going to wish you'd never done that, Granger."

"Stay away from Harry." Hermione warned. "Or you _will _be sorry. That's a threat that I'm not afraid to follow."

Ginny turned and stalked off down the corridor, still holding her face.

Hermione sighed, leaning against the nearest wall. She couldn't believe she'd just hit her best friend. Things were crazy, and growing crazier by the minute. She and Ginny were no longer friends; Hermione could not see a way that they could ever get through this.

"Hermione!" A delighted voice cried.

She looked up to see Harry racing towards her.

"Hello, sweetie." He said, approaching her.

Hermione smiled weakly.

"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I just got into a row with Ginny is all."

"A row? Did anything happen?" He asked.

"I hit her." Hermione answered quietly. "I hit my best friend."

Sighing, Harry pulled Hermione into an embrace. "It's okay. Everything will be okay."

Hermione sniffed, then pulled away. "What is it that you wanted?"

Harry smiled. "I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner in our dormitory tonight. Just the two of us; I think we could use some 'alone time'."

Just as Hermione was about to say yes, she remembered: it was Wednesday. Malfoy expected her in the Divination Tower at twelve o' clock, sharp. But midnight was ways away … she could have a nice dinner with Harry before then.

She shuddered. She should not have had to worry about meeting him; it shouldn't happen. She should just tell him to fuck off. But she couldn't, not with so much at stake …

Hermione smiled. "Dinner would be lovely."

………………………………

That evening, Hermione walked into their common room only to discover Harry adding the finishing touches to a wonderful looking meal.

"Harry!" She exclaimed, obviously shocked. "It looks magnificent! How did you do all of this?"

"Oh, I have my ways." Harry said mysteriously.

"More like you have your connections." Hermione teased. "How much of this did Dobby do?"

Harry grinned as his face turned scarlet. "Dobby didn't-"

"Oh, shut up Harry." Hermione laughed as she crossed the common room to give him a kiss.

They sat themselves down around the table, and Hermione could not help but admire the beautiful meal that lay before her. She could not believe Harry had had this done; it was so sweet.

They enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner, talking about lessons and Quidditch (much to Hermione's dismay). After supper, they made their way over to the couch. Harry put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and she leaned in, feeling safe in his arms. It was perfect; this was how life should have been. Closing her eyes, Hermione allowed herself to be taken off into her own little world, which eventually turned into a beautiful dream of her and Harry being married by Dumbledore.

Suddenly, Hermione was awoken by a small tapping noise.

_TAP! TAP TAP! _

Rubbing her eyes, she glanced at the window, noticing a large eagle owl begging for entrance. Then she looked at the alarm clock next to the sofa; it read 11:50. Hermione leapt off of the couch, then ran for the window and let the eagle in. She took the letter off of it's leg and paid the eagle no attention as it soared off into the night.

Harry was now sitting up as well. "Was that Malfoy's owl?" He asked, sharply.

Ignoring him, Hermione unrolled the letter.

_10 minutes, Granger. Don't be late. _

Hermione's heart began to race faster as she tore the piece of parchment up into shreds.

"I have to go." She said suddenly.

"What?" Harry cried. "It's midnight, Hermione! You're not even allowed out at this time!"

"I still have to go." Hermione said, running for the door.

"Where are you going?" He demanded, shocked by her sudden odd behavior.

"Out!" She shouted, slamming the door behind her.

She ran for the nearest flight of stairs, not even bothering to check for professors or Filch. Twelve o' clock sharp, he had said. She mustn't be late …

_Wait a moment_Hermione thought to herself, slowing down a bit. _I mustn't be late? Who the hell does Draco Malfoy think he is! _At that moment, Hermione felt disgusted with herself. She realized that she was letting Malfoy control her life. _How dare him! I don't answer to anybody! _

Hermione slowed her pace considerably now. She would not do what Malfoy wanted her to do. It was injustice. It was bribery. And it was from Draco Malfoy. There was no way that she would allow such a git to run her life, no matter how much he threatened to ruin it.

Hermione slowly stole her way through Hogwarts, taking her time until she reached the Divination Tower. Reaching for the latter, she climbed up it, emerging into the Tower through the trapdoor.

"You're late." A voice drawled.

"Go fuck yourself, Malfoy." Hermione retorted. "I can't believe I've let you take hold of my life for this long. Well, no more. You can't tell me what to do, you can't bribe me. I am my own person, and I'll never listen to the likes of you."

"Oh, someone's developed a sense of independence." Malfoy said sarcastically.

"It's not independence; it's me coming to my senses." She snapped.

"So I take it you said goodbye to Potter before you came here?" Malfoy asked. "Or did he just throw you out instead? That's what I would've done if I found out my girlfriend had lost her virginity to a sex god."

"You think so highly of yourself." Hermione spat. "And no, I haven't told Harry."

"Oh, so you're waiting for me to do it then?" Malfoy asked. "Brilliant. How I'd love to see the look on his face when I explain to him in great detail how you pleaded for me to shag you. How you dug your fingernails so deeply into my back. How loudly you moaned for more-"

"Shut up." Hermione whispered. "I won't let you do this to me. It isn't fair."

"When have I ever been known to be fair?" Malfoy smirked.

Hermione snorted. "Malfoy's are never fair."

"Exactly." He agreed. "We're never fair."

"I won't do this with you, Malfoy." Hermione said. "I won't."

"Alright." Malfoy said.

Hermione gaped at him. "What?"

"I said alright." He slowly made his way to Hermione and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her midsection.

"Don't do it for me." He said softly into her ear. "Do it for you."

Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back into his chest, resting her head against the side of his jaw. The feeling of his breath … the softness of his voice … it brought her back to that night. The night that ruined her life.

"I can't." Hermione whispered. "I can't."

Malfoy released her, then touched her hips and made her turn to face him. "Even you cannot deny your deepest and most desired pleasures. So why try?"

He leaned in and kissed her; every time he kissed her, it was the same, yet so different. It was the same war, but the battle were always diverse. It was like the more Hermione disliked him, the rougher their kisses would become. It drove Hermione crazy, yet it made her crave him even more.

Eventually, they fell onto one of Professor Trelawney's pouffes, still not letting one another go. Hermione hastily pulled his shirt off as he pushed her robes away. She lifted her arms so he could pull her shirt off as well, then continued kissing him as she hurriedly undid his belt and tossed it aside.

Once they were completely naked, Hermione climbed on top of Malfoy, taking control. She leaned in for a kiss, then bit his bottom lip more harshly, but just as violently as intended.

He pulled away for one moment, touching his now-bloody lip. Grinning, he grabbed her arms and shoved her to the other side of the couch, than leapt on top of her. He licked the blood off of his lip, than smashed his lips into her own, continuing to kiss her.

Before she knew it, Malfoy had pushed himself into her, causing her to moan with immense pleasure. He began to delve further and push harder, causing both of them to roll off of the pouffe and onto the floor; the way they had landed, Hermione had regained the top. She straddled him as he remained inside of her and swayed her hips with his every movement. He rose from the floor with every push, and Hermione arched her back and clutched the carpet for support, feeling that she may not be able to control herself. Every movement from him was like a blast of pleasure for her, and she fought to remain silent, but she could not help herself.

She moaned loudly, continuing to sway her hips to the motion. He grinned, then tossed her over so that she was laying with her back on the floor and he was on top of her; his palms were flat against the ground on either side of her head as he thrust into her, and he could not help but smirk as she closed her eyes tightly, begging herself to be quiet. She persisted to moan though, unable to suppress the pleasure shooting through her body.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione stood up and dressed herself silently. Malfoy did the same.

"Your dormitory, tomorrow night." He said as she went to leave.

"My dormitory?" She cried. "No! What about Harry-"

"Find a way to get rid of him." Malfoy said simply.

He strutted over to her, then slid his hands up her shirt. Roughly, he squeezed her breasts. "You forgot your bra."

Pulling his wand out, he summoned the bra over.

Hermione snatched it from him, then turned and left the tower, feeling more pleased, yet more horrified than she had ever felt in her life.


	6. A Breakable Vow

Chapter 6

_A Breakable Vow_

"Where the hell did you run off to?" Harry demanded the moment Hermione stepped foot into their common room.

"You're not asleep yet?" Hermione asked, taken aback by his aggressive behavior.

"Of course not!" Harry cried. "You just ran out on me! I didn't know where you were going, I didn't know what you were doing! I've been worrying about you, wondering if maybe you got caught by Filch or Snape!"

"Well, I'm fine." Hermione answered carefully. "And I'm rather tired, so-"

"Wait a moment!" Harry exclaimed. "Aren't you even going to tell me where you ran off to?"

Hermione took both of Harry's hands into her own and looked up into his blazing green eyes. "Harry, I can't tell you where I went, but I really need you to trust me and trust that everything is alright. Please don't make this into a bigger issue than it is."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but shut it after he realized that he did not know what to say. Finally, after a few moments of silence, he said, "Well, alright then. I'll drop it. Just please don't do it again, you really had me worried."

Hermione smiled and allowed Harry to pull her into an embrace. She felt so dirty being in Harry's arms; she felt as though she was covered in Malfoy-residue, and she could not get rid of the feeling. All she could do was imagine what had just happened … imagine Malfoy thrusting into her as she clutched the carpet and bit her lip to stop herself from screaming with pleasure …

"Hermione? Did you hear me?" Harry asked, holding her shoulders as he gave her a quizzical look.

"What?" Hermione asked, snapping out of the daze she was in.

"I said I was thinking about having a little party tomorrow night." Harry said. "You know, just to get all our friends together since we don't get to see them quite as often as we used to."

Hermione's eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly recovered. She was speechless. Malfoy demanded that he come to the common room _tomorrow night. _Which, technically, was tonight now. There couldn't be a party! "Tomorrow is Thursday, though." Hermione argued. "Well, today I suppose. Is it really smart to have a party on a school night?"

"Yeah, I know. But it's not like it'll be a blowout party. Just Gryffindors and a few people from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff." Harry answered cheerily. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, it'll be fine."

He pulled Hermione into his arms once more, giving her mind time to race; what was she to do? Well, that was simple. She would have to tell Malfoy that tomorrow night just wasn't good. Simple as that.

She sighed. Unfortunately, the words 'Malfoy' and 'simple' had never mixed well. Why should the party be any different?

………………………………….

Hermione decided to tell Malfoy the next day, immediately after Potions. She would make up some sort of excuse about having to stay behind, and catch Malfoy somehow before he left the class with his fellow peers.

"So who's all invited to this party?" Ron whispered to Hermione and Harry from the back of the classroom as Snape wrote out a list of ingredients on the blackboard.

"Everyone we know, I suppose." Harry replied. "From every house."

"Every house?" Ron countered skeptically.

"Well, except Slytherin of course." Harry said. "But that's common sense."

"Are you sure you don't want to save the party for the weekend?" Hermione interrupted, giving one last attempt at changing the date.

"We'll be too busy studying this weekend for that History of Magic quiz on Monday." Harry replied. "No, it's best to do it tonight."

"Yes, but-" Hermione began.

"Miss Granger," Snape suddenly said from the front of the classroom. "Is it that you think yourself too advanced for my Potions class, or do you just happen to be exceedingly insolent to every professor who crosses your path?"

"No, sir!" Hermione cried. "Not at all-"

"Move to the front of the class." Snape demanded. "Beside Malfoy."

Hermione's head jerked in Malfoy's direction; he smirked at her, causing her stomach to churn with apprehension.

Snape glared at her. "_Now._"

Harry and Ron watched with sympathy as she silently gathered her things together and moved to the front of the room, taking a seat in the vacant chair next to Malfoy. Without a word, she unpacked her things, and Snape carried on with his lesson.

_Maybe this is for the better, _she thought to herself. This way, she could tell Malfoy during class that he just had to set another date for his blackmail-session. Or perhaps she would write him a note instead …

But no, it seemed as though he had already beaten her to it. As carefully as possible, he slipped a note onto her lap, giving her a meaningful look before focusing his gaze on Snape.

Hermione looked around, making sure that no one was watching her. Then, she reached for the parchment in her lap and slowly unfolded it, feeling a jolt of exhilaration as she read it to herself:

_How nervous can I get you? _

She immediately tore it up into tiny little pieces and threw them carelessly onto the stone floor. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Suddenly, Malfoy's hand had slid over to her and rested itself just above her knee. She jumped slightly at the touch, but did not say anything for fear that someone would notice. Instead, her eyes burned as she focused all of her attention on Snape, trying to ignore Malfoy's hand resting carelessly atop her thigh. She attempted to somehow tell him to stop through means of telecommunication. _Please stop, please stop, _she repeated in her mind; but then she ceased. Why was she being silly? That wouldn't work.

_Why stop when I'm having so much fun, though? _

Hermione jumped once more. Malfoy's voice seemed to float through her head, as though she were listening to muggle headphones and his voice was blaring through the ear pieces. But how? How was that possible? Malfoy couldn't communicate telepathically … could he? But then if he could, he had used Legilimens to read her mind. She felt so … naked. Since when did Malfoy know Legilimens? How dare he invade her mind!

Slowly, Malfoy's hand moved slightly higher up her thigh. Her hand immediately went to her mouth, and she began nervously biting her fingernail. Why was he doing this in class? What if they were caught?

He did not stop. His hand slowly made its way up her leg, not ceasing until it reached the very top of her thigh. Her stomach was stirring with a strong, relentless feeling of anxiety and pleasure, though the pleasure was rapidly surpassing the worry. This was so … wrong. So … naughty. A chill ran down Hermione's spine. She clasped her own hand on top of Malfoy's, and he began rubbing her upper thigh, then squeezed harshly in such a pleasing way. He was not stopping there. His hand trailed higher, up to her skirt line. Hermione's eyes widened in shock; _he wouldn't_. Soon enough, a finger had slipped past the border and slid under the waistband –

_RING! RING! RING!_

Malfoy immediately withdrew his hand. Hermione let out an immense sigh of relief. The bell. Class was over. He knew it would be, too … surely he wouldn't have actually done what he was about to do …

"Coming, Hermione?" Harry called from the exit, casting a disgusted look at Malfoy. He returned it with a smirk.

"Give me a moment!" Hermione cried, sounding rather hysterical. "I have to … er … correct a few spelling errors on my work!"

"Alright," Harry said, obviously not noticing that anything was wrong. "See you."

"See you." Hermione said.

As soon as Harry was out of sight, Hermione dropped her head in her hands. She then lifted it immediately. Snape had just left; not for too long, of course. He'd never leave students alone in his classroom for too long. But even a short absence was good enough.

"Are you coming, Draco?" Pansy asked, batting her eyelashes at him and touching his arm. Hermione felt a surge of anger. She never did like Pansy much.

"Yes, in a moment." Malfoy said casually. "I've got to speak with Snape about my essay."

"Well, alright then." Pansy said uncertainly, shooting daggers at Hermione as if to say 'Don't touch my man'. "See you in the common room."

Malfoy did not reply. But Pansy, as though to secure her hold on him, leaned in and laid a huge, wet kiss on his lips. Crabbe and Goyle both chuckled like buffoons and Pansy shot Hermione one last menacing look before every Slytherin – excluding Malfoy – vacated the room. Hermione wanted to slap her.

"What the hell was that?" Hermione demanded.

"What?" Malfoy said casually.

"_That_!" Hermione cried. "Does she know about us?"

Malfoy looked at her as though she were stupid. "No. Why would I tell her?"

"Well she looked at me as though she knew something was up." Hermione retorted matter-of-factly.

"Yeah well she can be quite jealous at times." Malfoy said carelessly. "Even leaving me alone in a room with another girl makes her jealous." With this, he leaned over in his chair towards Hermione and placed a hand on her cheek. "And who knows. Maybe she has reason to be." He lifted his other hand and placed it on her other cheek, then pulled her face towards his own. He did not even need to tease her lips until they would open; no, this time, they opened willingly before he had the chance.

Hermione had forgotten all thoughts of Harry. All thoughts of the party. All thoughts of convincing Malfoy to cancel on his plans for tonight. Instead, she rose from her seat and threw one leg over Malfoy's lap, straddling him while continuing to thrash her tongue about his mouth. Her hands slid under his shirt, gliding over his body and resting on his chest as she bit his lower lip, causing him to grin.

"What in the hell is going on in here?" A voice demanded furiously.

Hermione pulled away instantly. The voice had shocked her so much that she fell backwards; Malfoy immediately grabbed her to stop her fall.

"Professor!" Hermione exclaimed.

Snape glared at the two of them, apparently at a loss for words.

Hermione was speechless. So was Malfoy.

This could possibly have been the most awkward moment in Hogwarts history.

Finally, Snape moved. He withdrew his wand and aimed it at the door, causing it to close with a loud bang. Then he took to staring at the pair once more. "So." He said. "You think that my classroom is a playground for your teenage hormonal spasms, do you? You find it appropriate to demonstrate disgusting displays in a place meant for brewing the most dangerous of potions, do you?"

"Please sir, no one knows-" Hermione pleaded.

"Ah, no one knows." Snape said. "So you think it wise to exchange saliva in a place where anyone could walk in? Where … dare I say … Potter, could've walked in?"

Hermione was silenced immediately. His words felt like a slap in the face. Harry. Harry could've walked in. What was she thinking? What on _earth _was she thinking?

"Please sir." Hermione whispered. "Please don't say anything to anyone. I beg of you to keep this to yourself. Pretend you never saw anything-"

"Ah, but that shall be quite difficult, seeing as I _did _see something." Snape interrupted. "A Slytherin and a Gryffindor. A pureblood and a muggleborn. The school shall have a riot once they're informed about this."

"Professor, you can't honestly tell me that you would spread my personal business through the halls of the school!" Hermione exclaimed, mortified.

"But I can." Snape replied menacingly. "Narcissa will not be thrilled to hear this-"

At this, Malfoy suddenly sat up straighter. "You wouldn't dare-"

"Oh I would." Snape retorted. "You are to marry a pureblood, Malfoy. It has been decided for you since before you were born. As a friend of Lucius's, I will not have you abolish everything that your parents have worked so hard for-"

"You don't have all the facts straight!" Malfoy cried. "I'm not marrying the mudblood! Like you said, it was teenage hormonal spasms! It won't happen again, there's nothing to worry about!"

"Am I to take your word on that?" Snape sneered. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Professor, please." Hermione said quietly. "Please do not spill a word of this."

Snape glanced at her. For the first time in his life, he could see a sign of weakness in her. Perhaps it would become useful in the future. He gave a small, cold smile. "As you wish." He said, going over to his desk. "I shall not breathe a word. For the time being. Draco, do not let me see this again or I will be forced to go straight to Narcissa."

"Yes, sir." Malfoy said obediently.

They both stood to leave.

"And Granger?" Snape called as they were both almost out the door.

She turned slowly. "Yes?"

"Do not try to play the role of the perfect little Gryffindor anymore." He said with a sneer. "It's quite clear that you've surpassed that mark. Remember that you can fool everyone else. You cannot fool me. Good day."

………………………………

"Oh my god." Hermione said immediately as the Potions door slammed behind them and they emerged into the empty dungeons hallway. "Oh my god."

"If my mother ever finds out … if my mother _ever _finds out …" Malfoy rambled.

"Your mother? Your _mother?_ Who the hell cares about your mother! I'm engaged, Malfoy! Engaged! I'm to be married in a few months!"

"Calm down." Malfoy said, regaining his coolness. "It's fine. It's over. Snape is harmless."

"_Harmless?" _Hermione exclaimed. "He has the power to ruin my life!"

"But he won't." Malfoy replied calmly. "He won't. It's fine."

"How do you know!" Hermione demanded. "This is so, so stupid! This was stupid from the start! I never should've agreed to your … your blackmail! How could I have been so _stupid_? It's over, Malfoy! This whole little charade we have going, it's over! I refuse to be a part of it anymore!"

"Well I refuse to let you go!" Malfoy shouted, angry for the first time. "We've made a deal, Granger. You have no power to go back on it."

"No power?" Hermione said, deathly quiet. "We wrote nothing down. We sealed nothing. We made no unbreakable vow. I have all the power in the world to walk away from this right now."

"You want your relationship with Potter to work, don't you?" Malfoy replied heatedly. "Don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Hermione cried.

"Well then you don't have a fucking choice in the matter!" Malfoy shouted.

"We never set a limit!" Hermione exclaimed, near tears now. "What, do you want this to go on until we've been married for a year? Until we've had our first child? Until we buy our own fucking house?"

Malfoy said nothing. She was right. This could not go on forever, no matter how much he wanted it to. Soon enough, he'd be married himself to the woman of his mother's choosing. But he didn't want it to end. He couldn't let it end …

"Until wedding day." He suddenly said.

"What?" Hermione demanded.

"Until your wedding day. Until that day comes, I can have you whenever the hell I want to have you. After that, I'll leave you alone. I promise. And I'll make it my top priority until then that no one finds out what's going on, and that Snape does not say a word."

"Until my wedding day!" Hermione exclaimed. "Malfoy, that's _months _away! I can't do this for months! It's already driving me crazy and it hasn't even been a week!"

"I'd go crazy not being able to have you." Malfoy said quietly. "Not feeling your touch. I hold the power here, Granger. It's my needs over yours. Unfortunately for you, that's the way I choose to have it. Do you accept?"

Hermione did not say a word. She did not know what to say. She could not continue this charade with him, she just couldn't. But she could not risk losing Harry … she loved him too much. This seemed like the only way. There was no other choice. She was trapped.

Hermione looked him in the eye, her own eyes shining with tears. "You have my word."

"I'll see you tonight, then." Malfoy said smugly.

"No!" Hermione cried.

He frowned at her. "No?"

"Harry's throwing a party tonight in our dorm." Hermione explained. "I can't get him out of it. You can't come. I'm afraid I have to put my foot down."

"You're putting your foot down?" Malfoy laughed. "Are you serious? You think I'm going to cancel on this because of Potter? Not a chance. I suppose you're extending me an invitation then, aren't you?"

"Harry will have a cow if I give you an invitation!" Hermione cried. "No Slytherins are allowed!"

"It looks like one is now." Malfoy grinned, fiddling with his wand in his pocket.

"Please!" Hermione pleaded hysterically. "Let's … let's do it somewhere else! Anywhere else!"

"Oh no." Malfoy replied, smirking at her. "I had my heart set on your dormitory. I'm afraid that's where it'll have to be. Call it … forbidden. Better let your fiancé know in advance. I don't think he'll fancy my abrupt arrival too much. Good bye, Granger."

Hermione stared at him helplessly as he walked down the corridor towards the Slytherin common room. As soon as he was out of sight, she slumped against the nearest wall, falling into a crumpled pile on the floor. Tears began to fall, and before she knew it, she was weeping uncontrollably. Thank god no one else was in the corridor.

_How could I have let this happened?_ She asked herself repeatedly. _How could I have let Malfoy take such a hold on me? _Simple. She had felt the need for revenge, and she sought for it in Malfoy. First mistake. Point proven, revenge can never lead to any good. Too late for that advice now. The only problem was, Hermione did not have complete hostility towards Malfoy. His actions over the past couple of days could easily have been considered rape. But no, Hermione was willing. She had never once told him to stop … never once fought for freedom …

She enjoyed it. She enjoyed the feeling of lust. Of desire. That hunger for the passion that she never gave Harry the chance to show her. And even if she had, she could already swear that Harry would never be able to please her in the ways that Malfoy could.

_Shut up! _She told herself, cursing her mind for thinking such things. _Harry is your fiancé! You'll be happy with him and you'll both make hot, passionate love for the rest of your lives! You don't want Draco Malfoy. You don't crave Draco Malfoy. _

Hermione stood, wiping away the last of her tears. She drew herself to full height, feeling strong and confident.

_You don't crave Draco Malfoy. _

She nodded, then walked down the corridors and out into the Entrance Hall towards the Main Staircase that would take her to her dormitory. She could do it; she could handle Malfoy. After all, it was only a few months. Surely she could last a few months? And she could certainly last one night. The party will be fine. The wedding will be fine. Harry will never know. Never.

* * *

**A/N: God, I envy Hermione. lol. Poor her. She feels so ... trapped. And Malfoy's not making any attempt to lighten her burden.I suppose we'll just have to see what happens in future chapters ...**

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**Jessica (JJLove28)**


	7. An Unforgettable Party

Chapter 7

_An Unforgettable Party_

On her journey back to the Head Boy and Girl dormitory, Hermione contemplated how best to approach the subject of Malfoy with Harry. What possible reason could she muster for inviting Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin king, to a party meant only for those held dearest to Harry and herself?

"Hermione!" A voice called from behind her.

Turning, Hermione saw Ron, Luna, and, much to her dismay, Ginny, following in her wake.

"Where are you lot off to?" asked Hermione, addressing only Ron and Luna.

"To your dormitory, actually," answered Ron. "We thought we'd help a bit with the decorating-"

"Excuse me?" cried Hermione, rounding on Ron. "You're all heading to my dormitory, are you?" She turned to face Ginny. "And do you expect to also be joining our little party?"

"Yes, I do," retorted Ginny fiercely. "Harry extended me an invitation, and it would have been incredibly rude to decline."

"Oh, rude is far from what it would have been! Respectful it would have been, perhaps, had you chosen to stay cooped up in your own dormitory with only your pathetic existence for company! Respectful towards _me,_ not to dare show your face around my fiancé, the man you tried to snake right out from under my nose!"

"It was an accident, Hermione!" cried Ginny. "I lost control, alright? I did not mean for it to happen, it just sort of did, and-"

"And I bet you couldn't have been more thrilled." snorted Hermione.

"What's going on?" said a new voice. Everyone turned to see Harry walking in on the scene: Hermione and Ginny facing each other with loathing in their eyes as Ron and Luna stood back, keeping their noses out of it.

"How _dare _you invite this … this … this _girl _to our party!" cried Hermione furiously.

"Ginny is our friend, Hermione!" exclaimed Harry. "What happened before was an accident, it's not like it's going to happen again, why can't you just-"

"Just let it go?" interrupted Hermione. "Just pretend it never happened? Are you kidding me? Are you that naïve that you actually believe things can heal between Ginny and I?"

"We're all friends.' whispered Harry.

Hermione looked to Ginny, whose affection for Harry clearly shone through her eyes because of him coming to her defense, and then to Harry, who looked pleadingly into her own eyes.

"Fine." said Hermione, returning his pleading look with a fierce look of her own. "Fine, Ginny can come. But Draco Malfoy is invited as well."

"_What?!_" came three separate cries; one from Harry, one from Ron, and one from Ginny.

"Oh yes," grinned Hermione evilly. "Yes, if I am forced to endure the company of this … _traitor,_" (she indicated Ginny), "then you will just have to deal with having someone around who _you _can't stand to look at."

Harry stared at her, registering this threat, completely oblivious as to why she would propose it in the first place. Did she not hate Malfoy as well? Why would she threaten all of them with his company, everyone who she cared about? Just because of Ginny's presence?

"That is ridiculous, Hermione," said Harry, reaching for her hand. "Can't we discuss this maturely-"

"That is the deal, Harry. You can decide."

Harry looked to Ginny, who stared longingly into his eyes. Then he turned to his fiancée. "She is our _friend, _Hermione-"

"You've made your decision, then. I'll see you at the party."

And with that, Hermione walked away, disgusted with herself for feeling secretly relieved that her loathing for Ginny had created the opportunity that she needed.

………………………………...

While Harry, Ron, Luna and Ginny bustled around the Head Boy and Girl common room decorating every surface with red, yellow and blue (for the three welcomed houses), Hermione remained in her room, pleased to use Ginny as an excuse not to be among them so that she could be alone with her thoughts.

What she and Malfoy were doing was absolutely careless. There were so many factors that they weren't using to make rational decisions … Malfoy's mother, for instance. _Harry, _of course. And what if she got pregnant? They hadn't even _considered _that! There were so many repercussions to their actions, and yet, Malfoy still wished to carry on with them. How thick could he be?

Suddenly, Hermione could hear the sounds of many happy voices outside. The guests had arrived. Sighing, Hermione composed herself before heading out to the common room. There, she saw many familiar faces: Dean, Seamus and Neville, Parvati and Lavender, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Michael Corner, Terry Boot --- almost everyone who had been in the DA. One face, much to Hermione's relief, was not familiar among the crowd --- Draco Malfoy's. Hermione sighed a small breath of relief. Maybe he'd come to his senses and decided not to come?

"Harry and I managed to nick some Firewhisky from the Hog's Head!" Ron shouted aloud to the crowd as he began passing around goblets, all of which were raised into the air by their drinkers to a chorus of "Hear hear!".

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, storming angrily through the horde of people until she reached her fiancé. "You are Head Boy, what were you thinking?!"

Harry blushed sheepishly. "Oh, come on Hermione, live a little. It's just a few close friends here, nothing will go wrong."

Hermione leaned in very close to him. Her nose only inches away from his own, Harry thought for a wild instant that she was going to kiss him. Instead, she said in a dark whisper, "Are you _trying_ to make me cross with you?"

"No!" exclaimed Harry, bewildered.

"Do you _want _to row in front of all of these people?" whispered Hermione.

"No!" repeated Harry.

"Then why, why do you continue to push my buttons?" she demanded.

"I don't want to push your buttons, Hermione!" exclaimed Harry. "I just want to have fun! Can't we just have fun, for one night? Can't we forget about Potions and Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts and just let loose a little bit?"

Hermione glared at her fiancé, wondering what could possibly have brought upon this huge change in him, this desire for being a reckless teenager rather than spending quality time with his one true love.

"Fine." said Hermione. "But as Head Boy, you better be keeping a close eye on everyone who's drinking Firewhisky!"

"Will do." said Harry, beaming at her.

Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, Hermione turned, then let out a cry of surprise as she came face to face with the one boy who's face she prayed she would not see tonight.

"Granger," Malfoy nodded to her, smirking as he did so.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Hermione turned back around to see Harry, backed by Ron and Neville, all holding their wands at arms length in Malfoy's direction . The entire room fell silent.

"Oh, didn't you know?" said Malfoy. "Granger invited me."

Harry looked to Hermione. "You _actually _invited him?"

"I said that I would." replied Hermione defiantly.

"I thought it was a joke! A threat! I thought you were just trying to get Ginny uninvited! I didn't think you'd _actually _invite _Malfoy!" _

"You don't think much at all though, do you, so it's not much of a surprise to me." said Malfoy.

Harry rapidly advanced on Malfoy, grabbing Hermione's arm and pulling her behind him as he extended his wand so that the tip was not even an inch away from Malfoy's throat.

"You are treading on very thin ice, Malfoy." whispered Harry, his voice filled with the utmost hatred for his enemy.

"And yet, I don't feel worried in the least!" said Malfoy carelessly as he plopped himself down on the nearest sofa. "Is there anything worth eating around here?"

"_Levicorp-"_

"PROTEGO!"

Hermione was too quick for Harry, as his attempt at cursing Malfoy was blocked by her shield charm.

"WHAT THE HELL, HERMIONE?" screamed Harry, his face reddening with rage.

"Do you want McGonagall to come here, Harry?" demanded Hermione, her anger very equal to his own. "Do you want her to see that you've been giving out Firewhisky? Do you want to be banned from the Quidditch team? Do you want everyone here to be in trouble? Don't start trouble Harry or I'll clear the whole room out now!"

"WHY DON'T YOU CLEAR THIS FILTH OUT?" shouted Harry, pointing his wand at Malfoy.

"The only stench of filth I smell is coming from right over there!" said Hermione, her hand shaking as she pointed her finger at Ginny. "Malfoy smells like roses in comparison, and until that trash has been cleared away, he's staying!"

Harry looked from Ginny's pleading eyes to Hermione blazing ones, and when he dropped his wand hand, Hermione knew that he was too weak to turn Ginny away. He shot a look of disgust at Malfoy, who returned it with a smirk, then grabbed Hermione's arm harshly and pulled her into a corner. Everyone in the room resumed their mingling, trying to act as though nothing had happened.

"Don't you _dare _handle me like that again!" said Hermione, prying his hand off of her arm.

"I'm not clearing everyone out now." said Harry, ignoring her. "And I'm not asking Ginny to leave. We are each entitled to one mistake, and I've made mine. I apologized, Ginny apologized, you need to get over it."

"Get … get _over _it?" stammered Hermione. "You don't get it at all, do you? I don't care anymore, Harry. I don't want to discuss it. You enjoy your little party, you enjoy your company with that filth, you enjoy Malfoy's company. I'm finished with this right now."

Hermione turned and headed for her room, passing Malfoy on the way but refusing to look him in the eye. As she turned the corner to the corridor leading to her room, she sneaked a glance back and saw Harry rejoin Ron, Luna and Ginny, seemingly indifferent about their argument. Fuming, she slammed her door behind her, throwing herself onto her bed.

She wanted so badly to be able to blame everything on Harry. To hate him completely and have all reason to, without feeling the guilt that she was feeling. How could she blame Harry? How could she even be angry with him after what she did? Her thoughts changed to Malfoy. He was out there now, only braving the lions because of her. He was here with a purpose, a purpose which Hermione had promised him.

But Hermione now felt that same anger that she had felt the night she caught Harry and Ginny together. That night, she had been confused, she'd ran without knowing where she was going, without knowing what to do. She'd turned to Malfoy because she felt it was the only thing she could do at the time. But now? Hermione knew what she wanted. She hated herself for thinking it, hated herself for feeling it, but she wanted Malfoy. She needed him, needed him as nothing more than a tool to release all of her anger on.

Without a plan but with a clear purpose in mind, Hermione stood and headed for her door. She pulled it open, clutching her heart in surprise as she once again came face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. Instead of being the face she did not want to see, however, he was now the one face that she needed, the body that she needed.

Hermione reached her hand out and grasped a fistful of Malfoy's robes, pulling him quickly into her room before anyone could see.

Without a word Hermione pushed Malfoy against the nearest wall, slamming her lips into his own as she shoved his robes off of him.

"Nobody saw you come in here?" whispered Hermione as Malfoy led her over to the bed.

"No, I came straight from the bathroom," he replied, taking no glee in Hermione's aggression. She was completely serious, so ready and willing to do it, and as much as he enjoyed his power trip, this was exactly what he'd been waiting for, this was what he'd been needing.

"We don't have a lot of time." said Hermione as she fell back onto the bed and allowed Malfoy to rip her robes off of her.

"I wish we had all the time in the world." he whispered.

Before Hermione could register what he said, he began kissing her once more, massaging her tongue violently with his own as the palms of his hands pushed into Hermione's flesh and began making a trail from her hips up to her breasts. He stopped there, rubbing both his thumbs in circles around her nipples as their lips parted and his began trailing from her jawbone to her neck, from her neck to her chest, from her chest to her nipple. There he sucked hungrily, flicking his tongue against the nipple as Hermione moaned and pushed his head into her chest, then pushed it away from her, down her body, where he was face to face with a pair of unwanted panties. Grinning, he pulled them off, staring at her beautifully crafted nether regions. He looked up at Hermione, who grinned back and reached for his head, pulling it back towards her own. They kissed once more as Malfoy began rubbing his hardness against Hermione, feeling her wetness lubricate him before he unexpectedly thrust himself into her, causing her to scream a cry of pleasure.

Malfoy thrust harder, faster than he had ever done before. Hermione clutched his buttocks, using it to force her pelvis towards him, gyrating against his body as he drove his penis in and out of her. Hermione's moans were now keeping pace with Malfoy's thrusts, which she tried to stifle by shoving her fist into her mouth and closing her eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, the pair of them collapsed on the bed, both breathing heavily with beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

"Wow." said Malfoy, after several moments of silence.

Hermione giggled as she lay in bed and clutched the sheets, shutting her eyes, fully reveling in the overwhelming pleasure of the moment. That had been … there was no other word for it … _amazing_. She felt like opening the door, screaming to the world about how amazing that had felt, how amazing Malfoy had made her feel …

She opened her eyes and turned her head so that it was facing Malfoy beside her. She was not surprised to see him staring back at her.

"Why do you do this to me?" she said, staring into his eyes. "Why do you make me feel this way?"

"I don't know." answered Malfoy. "I really don't know. We just … we just mesh."

"I bet you never thought you'd say that." giggled Hermione.

"And I'll never say it again, so keep it locked in your memory." said Malfoy determinedly.

Hermione smiled at him. Despite himself, he smiled back.

_BANG!_

"Hermione! Hermione, it's Harry!"

Hermione bolted upright, staring at her bedroom door which now had Harry on the other side of it.

"Oh my God!" whispered Hermione. "Oh my God, what do we do?!"

"Get dressed." hissed Malfoy. He handed her clothing, one by one, which she rapidly put on, then quickly dressed himself.

"Hermione, we need to talk!"

"In a minute!" screamed Hermione, rather hysterically. Lowering her voice, she said, "What about you?"

Malfoy grinned, taking his wand out of his robes and tapping himself on his head. His Disillusionment charm worked, much to Hermione's surprise, very effectively. Once he completely blended with the background, he hurled himself to his knees and rolled under Hermione's bed, just in case Harry could see through the charm.

Hermione composed herself, taking a deep breath before very nervously opening the door.

Harry pushed his way in, slamming the door unintentionally behind him. The way he staggered, Hermione could tell that he'd drank one too many Firewhiskys.

"Sit down, Harry." said Hermione, indicating the bed that she and Malfoy had been in only moments before.

"I don't wanna sit down!" spluttered Harry. "I want to talk! We need to talk."

"Is everyone else-"

"The Marauder's Map showed McGonagall coming this way, so Ron's sent everyone back to their houses." answered Harry. "Well, not their houses. Their towers, or their dungeons, or wherever it is they all come from-"

"What do you want, Harry?"

"I want … I want to know where Malfoy is!" he demanded suddenly .

"Malfoy?" said Hermione, surprised and slightly scared. "Why would you ask me where Malfoy is?"

"He was your damn guest!" said Harry. "He disappeared, hasn't been seen since I almost blasted the little git! Where'd he go?"

"I don't know!" cried Hermione defensively.

"Merlin only knows what he's done now!" said Harry. "Probably put a curse on our things or something! How could you invite the bastard, Hermione? What were you _thinking_?"

"What were _you _thinking when you cheated with Ginny, huh?" shouted Hermione. "Where was _your _head at that time?"

"Well maybe if you'd been a little more fun then it probably wouldn't have happened!"

Hermione stared at Harry as though he'd slapped her across the face. He swayed slightly on the spot, looking at her, almost daring her to challenge him. Obviously he was drunk. He never would have dared say such a thing had he been sober.

"Perhaps you should leave, Harry." said Hermione quietly. "Come back in the morning when you've slept on your stupidity."

"Don't you call me stupid, woman! Do you think it was stupid when I found the Philosopher's Stone? Think it was stupid when I destroyed the diary Horcrux, huh? Think it was stupid when I defeated Voldemort once and for all?"

"No, I think _that _was all luck. I think how you're acting _now _is stupid!" shouted Hermione.

Faster than lightning, Harry raised his hand and backhanded Hermione. In the time it took for her to clutch her cheek and stare at her fiancé in disbelief, the Disillusioned Malfoy rolled out from under the bed and got to his feet, throwing a very hard punch at Harry which sent him flying to the floor, unconscious.

Hermione staggered backwards and fell onto the bed, still holding her cheek, hot tears forming in her eyes. Malfoy pulled out his wand and removed the Disillusionment charm. He stared at Hermione, ignoring the disgusted feeling in himself for not only knocking Potter out because of a Mudblood, but also for doing it the Muggle way. Instead, he simply stared at her, unsure of what to do. A sudden impulse had him moving closer to her, ready to put his arm around her, to kiss her and tell her everything would be alright. He quickly came to his senses, though, once again feeling absolutely revolted with himself. He did not know what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, but he couldn't do it. This Mudblood, sitting here, crying … that was all she was, a Mudblood. A Mudblood who happened to be a very good shag. It was natural to feel emotion towards a shag partner, right? What was unnatural, what was _wrong, _was to act on them. She was a Mudblood, he was a Malfoy, that was that. Nodding as if to reassure himself, he spared her one last glance before turning and walking out the door, leaving her to cry on her own with her burning cheek and Harry sprawled on the ground playing as the only proof that what happened really had just happened.


	8. How the Tables Have Turned

How the Tables Have Turned

_BANG!_

"Hermione, open up, _please!"_

Hermione pulled her pillow down even harder over her ears, trying to drown out the sound of Harry banging on her door.

"Hermione, we need to talk! You can't stay in there forever!"

_Want to bet? _thought Hermione. Her eyes were puffy and stung at the touch from crying so much the night before. It had only taken a simple levitation charm to move Harry into his own room, but once she'd done that, she was once again left to drown in her thoughts, which pained her enough without the searing pain in her cheek from where Harry had struck her. It had been hours before she finally managed to cry herself to sleep.

"Hermione, _please, _open the door!"

"Go away, Harry!" screamed Hermione, fury stretching out to every inch of her body.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, I'm so, _so _sorry! I can't _believe _what came over me! I hate myself right now, you have no idea, I'm _so _disgusted with myself, I can't even remember what happened after I hit you, and … just, please, please talk to me!"

Hermione sighed. Harry was her fiancé. No matter the issue, he at least deserved a chance to plead his case. She got up and opened the door.

Harry smiled meekly, seeing this as a small ray of hope. He entered the room, took her hand, and led her to the bed, where they both sat down.

"Hermione, I know it's no excuse, but I just drank so much Firewhiskey last night. I went way beyond my limit, I was so upset about our arguing and about Malfoy" (Hermione's stomach jumped at the sound of his name) "and I guess I just tried to drink my misery away. I'm so glad you hit me, I completely deserved it. It's no excuse, I realize that, and I will do everything in my power to make this up to you."

"You hurt me, Harry." whispered Hermione. "You raised your hand to me. That is completely unacceptable. That is something I _never _thought I would have to worry about from you. I thought I would always be safe with you."

"You are, Hermione, you are!" said Harry. "I made a mistake, that's all it was. It will never happen again, I promise you!"

"You've been making a lot of mistakes lately, haven't you?" asked Hermione. "What's up with you? Are you not happy with your life? You're trying so hard to be like everyone else, everyone else caught up in their sex and alcohol and teenage angst. Is your life really that bad that you have to turn to all of that?"

"No, it's not, not at all!" said Harry. "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's just peer pressure. But it's going to stop from now, I promise. From now on, it's just you and me. No more alcohol and I won't even _think _about sex. Just you and me. Okay?"

Hermione sighed, looking her fiancé in the eyes. Last night, she had seen rage in those eyes like she had never seen before. For the first time in seven years, Harry had actually scared her. "I can't, Harry. You hurt me, physically and emotionally. I never thought you'd hit me, ever, and you did. I think … I think we need to take a break."

"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "No, you're just upset. I understand that. But a break will not help anything. We need to be together, Hermione. I need you. Please, please don't leave me."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm serious, Harry. You need time to compose yourself, to sort yourself out before you can be with me. If you're serious about wanting to marry me, then I want you to be completely devoted to me, I want you to love me and be the husband that I need for you to be. You need to figure yourself out before you can do that."

"Hermione, please-"

"I have to get dressed, we've got lessons in half an hour. Please leave."

Harry looked near tears as he stared disbelievingly at his fiancée. He could not think of anything to say, couldn't come up with something to make her change her mind. So, he did the only thing he could do. He left.

Fresh tears made their way down Hermione's cheeks as he closed the door behind him. When had things changed so drastically? Was this her consequence for what she had done with Malfoy? Was all this somehow her doing?

No, it wasn't. She didn't force Harry to cheat on her with Ginny. She didn't force him to hit her. No, this was Harry's thing. This was something Harry needed to sort out. Nodding her head in reassurance, she looked at herself confidently in the mirror on her bureau. _I'm doing the right thing, _she told herself, not nearly as reassured as she pretended to be.

………………………………...

The first lesson of the day was Charms with Flitwick. Hermione, to show that she meant what she said, sat with Lavender and Parvati, while Harry sat miserably with Ron. Only ten minutes had gone by before Professor McGonagall showed up at the door.

"Professor Flitwick, may I borrow Mr Potter and Ms Granger, please?"

"Of course you may!" said Flitwick cheerily.

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks before getting up and following McGonagall out the door.

The moment they were out of earshot from the rest of the class, McGonagall swooped down on both of them.

"What is the meaning of last night, I ask you?" she shouted. "I was walking to the staff room for tea and all of a sudden a herd of students are all coming from the direction of _your _common room, smelling of Firewhiskey!"

"Professor, please-" Hermione started.

"You are our Head Boy and our Head Girl!" she carried on hysterically. "You earned that title because you are respectful, admirable students! Never would I have expected you to abuse it by throwing parties and serving Firewhiskey to minors!"

"Professor-"

"Fifty points _each _will be taken off of Gryffindor, and you will both be given detentions-"

"Professor, please, the party was my fault." Harry interjected. "It was my idea, Hermione was never comfortable with it. I talked her into it. She didn't even stay, she was in her room all night. Please don't punish her for my mistake."

McGonagall glared at Harry, obviously disappointed in him but also trying to read whether he was telling the truth or just covering for Hermione.

"Is this true, Ms Granger?"

"Yes, Professor." said Hermione.

"Very well," said McGonagall. "Potter, fifty points will be taken off of Gryffindor and _you _will be given a week's worth of detention. If this happens again, you will have your Head Boy duties revoked _immediately. _And Ms Granger, I expected much better from you. I shall expect that nothing like this will happen again, under both of your watches. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Professor." They said in unison.

McGonagall glared at them both one more time before striding down the corridor towards her office.

Harry looked at Hermione hopefully, thinking that coming to her defense would maybe cause her to soften her feelings towards him.

However, a quick "thanks" was all she could muster before heading back into the classroom, leaving her crestfallen fiancé behind her.

………………………………...

Hermione had never felt more lonely then she did that day. Harry had not attempted another confrontation, even though he had ample opportunities to do so. This surprised Hermione; she could have sworn that he would continue trying to win her back. But, they went through Charms and then Transfiguration, and then double Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch, and even after lessons Harry had not tried to approach her. She gave up hope after seven o'clock, when his detention was to start. She had meant what she had said to him, but she still wanted him to at least _try. _Didn't she mean enough to him for him to fight for her?

And then there was Malfoy. For the first time since their first encounter, she had gone a whole day without hearing from him. She had no lessons with him, and he hadn't tried to make contact with her. She found it odd, seeing as they had an arrangement that he had never before hesitated to take full advantage of whenever he pleased. Was he getting tired of her? Did he not want her anymore? The very thought made Hermione feel empty inside. _You should be happy, you moron! _she scolded herself. If Malfoy was no longer interested, then she would no longer have to lie to Harry. But that meant they would never shag again … never be together again …

_It's a good thing. It's a good thing. Be happy, hope that this is over. _

But that night, as she lay in bed wide awake, she finally realized that she did not hope it was over. She was upset that Malfoy hadn't tried to talk to her, hadn't tried to arrange a meeting with her. And, it pained her to admit it, but she actually missed him. She missed his sickening smirk and his mean comments. She missed the way he touched her, the way that she felt when she was with him …

Suddenly, she sat up. There was no way that she was sleeping, not with all of these thoughts suffocating her mind. She had a sudden impulse, and without even thinking of the repercussions, she decided to act on it. It was eleven thirty, and still Harry was not back from his detention. Wearing only her bra and underwear, she stole through the corridor leading to Harry's room and pushed the door open quietly, making certain that he was not there. After scanning the empty room, she raced to his trunk and pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, silently cursing herself for what she was about to do.

It was quite an anxious walk from her dormitory down to the dungeons. She had to sneak as quietly as possible, for fear of running into Filch or Mrs Norris, but the Invisibility Cloak made her feel much more secure than she would have without it. When she reached the entrance, she whispered, "Salazar".

Very quietly, she removed the Invisibility Cloak and crossed the dark, deserted common room, climbing the circular stairs until she reached the seventh year boys dormitory. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.

This time, she knew exactly where to go. Her stomach jumped again as she watched Draco Malfoy, sleeping peacefully in his bed, and she soon wondered whether she had made a mistake in coming here. Her wondering passed quickly though as her heart began to race faster, fully committed to following through with this impulse of hers.

She quietly walked over to his bed, then pulled back the covers and climbed in with him. Her hand wasted no time as it slid down his body and easily found it's target, for apparently Malfoy enjoyed sleeping in the nude. She gently began massaging him, and soon enough, his eyes began to flutter open. She immediately pressed a finger to his lips as his eyes widened in surprise at her presence, but he did not say a word. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her with a passion that Hermione could not remember ever feeling from him. However, after only a couple of moments, he pulled away, threw the covers off of himself and pulled on a pair of underwear. He nodded towards the door, indicating that he wanted her to follow him out of it. Confused, Hermione obliged.

Once in the common room, both stared at one another, on opposite ends of the room.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" said Hermione, feeling somewhat insulted that he had stopped her.

"What the hell what?" asked Malfoy. "What the hell are you doing here, that's the only question that should be asked."

Hermione stared at him, stumped for an answer. What did he mean _what was she doing there? _What did he _think _she was doing there?

Malfoy scanned her face, noticing that her cheeks instantly flushed.

"You know what, you're right, what _am _I doing here?" she said, growing angry. "I'll just leave then."

She strode across the common room towards the exit, but as she passed Malfoy, he grabbed her arm.

"What do you want?" she hissed.

He looked into her fierce eyes, then released her. Instead of answering, he sat down on the sofa and dropped his head into his hands. Hermione crossed her arms, looking at him expectantly. Finally, after a moment or two, he lifted his head to look at her.

"Look, I don't think this is such a great idea anymore." he finally said, staring at her determinedly. "There's too many risks. Snape already knows, and if my mum finds out, all hell will break loose. If anyone _else _finds out, all hell will break loose. What if Blaise somehow found out? Or Pansy? Or even Pothead or Weasel?"

Hermione's expression changed from impatient to enraged. "Since when did it phase you in the least of someone finding out?! You never cared before, I begged with you, I literally begged you to not do what you did! But you wouldn't listen to me, you didn't care that it would ruin my life! You didn't care that I didn't want it, or that-"

"That you didn't want it? Bullshit you didn't want it!" exclaimed Malfoy. "You wanted it just as much, if not more than I did!"

"Don't flatter yourself," snarled Hermione. "I didn't want it at all. But you pushed it, and _now _you're backing out?"

"Well then, if you didn't want it, I don't see what the problem is here. You're free, Granger. My lips are sealed, no one will ever find out. I can go back to living my normal life and you can go back to being the repulsive Mudblood that you are. No harm, no foul. This is what you want, isn't it?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, then closed it. This _was _what she wanted, wasn't it? Hadn't Malfoy been the cause of all her stress lately? Hadn't Malfoy been the one ruining her life? Wasn't this exactly what she wanted? But, if it was, then why did she feel as though she were losing something?

Hermione stared at him, wondering where this change of heart had come from. Was he really worried about their secret getting out? Or was he bored of her, did he just not want her anymore?

"You're right," said Hermione, resisting a sudden urge of tears forcing their way to escape. "You're right, this _is _what I want. Good night, Malfoy."

Malfoy watched her turn and leave, wanting to call out to her, to make her stay, to tell her that he didn't mean anything that he had said. But it was that exact attitude that was the reason why he had to let her go. The night before had been an eye-opener for him. All day his mind flashed back to lying in bed with her, telling her that they meshed well together, her smiling at him, and then knocking out Potter the muggle way because he had hit her. What was it to him if he had hit her? She was his witch, his Mudblood, his to do with as he pleased. Malfoy was just enjoying a piece on the side, a sex-only relationship. So then why did he hit Potter? Why did he enjoy lying in bed with her after their session? It was these questions, these acts, that made Malfoy realize that he was getting in way over his head. The Mudblood had cast some sort of spell over him that was not magic at all, and it was getting to be too much.

_I am Draco Malfoy, _he told himself confidently. _I am the King of Slytherin. I am pureblood. I am not falling for a Mudblood. _

At that thought, he dropped his head into his hands once more, feeling, for the first time, completely and utterly helpless.


	9. An Offer He Can't Refuse

Chapter 9

_An Offer He Can't Refuse_

The next morning, it seemed that word of Harry and Hermione's break-up had spread like a common virus. Most seemed to be talking about it, being sure to lower their voices if Hermione passed. The rest spoke loudly, not caring about being overheard. Pansy Parkinson cackled in the Great Hall during breakfast, loudly announcing to all the Slytherins that it was only a matter of time that Potter would leave the Mudblood, for who in their right mind could ever show an interest in a Mudblood?

Hermione seemed to be the only one who _wasn't _thinking about the break-up between her and Harry. Funnily enough, her mind was only on Malfoy and their encounter the night before. She felt, foremost, rejected. Why did he not want to see her anymore? He had to have a reason, there had to be something that changed. Was it her? Was she just not fun for him anymore? Was she not worth it anymore? Just thinking about it made Hermione feel sick to her stomach. It was only now that she could admit that she enjoyed their encounters. She felt a rush inside whenever he kissed her, and when he entered her, it was nothing she had ever experienced before. It was like a high without drugs or magic. And it was addicting, she was beginning to realize that. Malfoy once told her that he craved her. Never would she have believed that she could feel the same, that she could crave him. But at this time, that is exactly what she was feeling. She had to find out why Malfoy did this; he owed her that much.

"Miss Granger, would you take some of these crates please?"

Hermione snapped out of her daze and saw Professor McGonagall coming down the corridor to the Transfiguration classroom, Hermione's next lesson. She was early, simply because she was tired of listening to all of the gossip in the Great Hall.

McGonagall held a stack of crates in her arms, probably occupied by mice or lizards, and they were stacked way over her line of vision, making her swerve slightly as she tried to balance the load.

"Of course!" Hermione said as she threw down her books and raced towards McGonagall, relieving her of half the crates.

"Thank you," McGonagall said as she opened the door to her classroom and led Hermione inside, stopping before a desk and placing her crates atop of it, indicating for Hermione to do the same. "We're transfiguring birds into snitches today. I thought it would be fitting seeing as the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match is quickly approaching. It will be more difficult than regular transfiguration, but the trick is figuring out how to incorporate a Hover charm."

Hermione nodded, not really listening. "I'm just going to grab my books from the corridor."

She left quickly, silently cursing herself for seeming like such an idiot. If only that damn Malfoy wasn't consuming her thoughts, maybe she'd be able to focus on something …

_BANG!_

Hermione was instantly thrown backwards, her knee and her head throbbing from the impact of the collision.

"Hermione!"

Hermione looked up to see Harry, closely followed by a worried-looking Ron. She couldn't help but notice how flushed Harry's cheeks looked, not to mention the ridiculously goofy grin plastered across his face at seeing her.

"'Ermione!" Harry exclaimed, apparently thrilled to see her. "I've been looking here and there for you! Or there and here. But you're here, so I've finally found you!"

Hermione looked quizzically at Ron, then turned to Harry and said, "And why have you been looking there and here for me?"

"I think that we need to talk." he said, suddenly dawning a serious expression. "You're a tricky one, you know! With the breaking up and everything, and I see why you did it, I see your game. Tricky. Clever even. You _want _me to come begging. You want me to do some brilliantly crazy gesture to win you back, and you're right, I should, because I messed up. I kissed Ginny and I wanted to go farther with her and that was my fault, and then there's the drinking thing, which is also messing up, because you don't like it and I should be doing what you _do _like, and-"

"Harry, it's the afternoon on a school day! You've been drinking?" exclaimed Hermione.

Harry grinned that ridiculously goofy grin again. "Can you tell?"

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" cried Hermione. "Ron, how you could let him-"

"Don't point fingers at me!" said Ron. "I thought he was sick this morning, and when I went to check in on him during lunch, I found him like this."

"Oh like what? I'm _fine._ I've only had a couple anyways-"

Before Harry could say another word, he stumbled sideways, losing his balance and ending up on the floor, then giggling hysterically about it.

"Harry, we need to get you out of here before McGonagall-"

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing on the floor, Potter?"

Sure enough, McGonagall had appeared in the corridor, looking utterly bewildered to find Harry laughing relentlessly on the floor.

"Well I fell, didn't I? I would have thought that was quite obvious." Harry said in a tone that suggested McGonagall was stupid for not figuring that out herself.

"Watch your tone, Potter-" McGonagall began to say.

"Oh lighten up, _professor,_" Harry interrupted. "I think we all need to lighten up just a little bit. Perhaps we should all take a vacation. Yes, a vacation! Relax our nerves, release all this tension. That's what _you _should do, Hermione. Maybe then you'll stop acting ridiculous and get over this one tiny thing-"

All of a sudden, Harry stopped talking. He looked as though he'd been paralyzed for a split second. But then Hermione could see all too clearly what was going to happen. Placing his hand over his mouth did not prevent Harry from vomiting all over the corridor floor.

"Oh, disgusting!" Came the voice of Parvati Patil, who was wearing the same look of utter revulsion as her best friend Lavender Brown, as well as all of the other students coming down the corridor behind them.

McGonagall looked positively furious. "Granger, clean this mess up this instant! Weasley, take Potter to the Hospital Wing! And Potter," To Harry, she gave a mingled look of disappointment and absolute fury. "I shall deal with you later."

Transfiguration was the farthest thing from fun that lesson. McGonagall's anger reverberated through the classroom, so much so that nobody spoke a word, not even Parvati and Lavender, who were so clearly waiting to gossip about what could possibly be wrong with Harry.

Hermione's anger was very close to matching McGonagall's. What was wrong with Harry? How could he be so stupid? Had Hermione hurt him this badly, that he resorted to Firewhiskey as a means to ease his pain? Hermione felt disgusted. She was very quickly falling out of love with Harry, and he could thank himself for that. She could not be with someone who would resort to something like Firewhiskey just because things were not going his way.

Dinner in the Great Hall was louder than usual. Students were gossiping left and right about Harry and his disgusting performance before Transfiguration. Many speculations were made, some accurate about his abuse of Firewhiskey, others far-off, like him using Puking Pastilles from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to get attention from Hermione, or Ginny giving him some sort of disease. Ron and Hermione kept to themselves, not saying much, especially about Harry.

Halfway through dinner, little Colin Creevey showed up at their table.

"Hermione, Professor McGonagall would like to see you in her office," he said sadly before taking off right away. Hermione guessed Colin had tried to visit Harry to see if he was doing well, but was denied visitation.

"Why me?" Hermione asked, confused. "I didn't force him to drink it."

Ron shrugged, and Hermione took a last bite of her chicken before leaving for McGonagall's office. She noticed Malfoy as she left, eating silently at the Slytherin table, ignoring Pansy as she blabbered on, clearly trying to get his attention. She ignored the sudden empty feeling in her stomach, refusing to think about Malfoy as she made the journey to McGonagall's office.

"Please take a seat, Ms Granger," McGonagall offered as she opened the door to Hermione's knock.

Nervously, Hermione sat down. McGonagall's still-sour face told Hermione that this was not good news, therefore she did not feel all that comfortable being there.

"So Potter was consuming Firewhiskey once again, was he?" McGonagall asked.

"Professor-" Hermione began.

"No need to lie or jump to his defense, Ms Granger, Madame Pomfrey has already confirmed it."

Hermione fell quiet.

"What I want to know is whether you had anything to do with it. Even knowing without coming forward to your Head of House is aiding to the offense, which I'm sure by now you know."

"I assure you professor, I'd only found out that moment. In no way do I condone Harry's behavior, and to be honest I'm slightly sickened by it."

McGonagall nodded her head in agreement. "I only asked because it would be a shame to lose both our Head Boy _and_ Girl."

Hermione took a moment to fully comprehend that statement. "Lose … lose our Head Boy and Girl? What do you mean? Did you sack Harry?"

McGonagall nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid his behavior as of late has been completely unacceptable. What kind of an example is our Hogwarts Head Boy setting? This is beyond preposterous, and I'm afraid Potter no longer deserves to claim the title."

Hermione let the information sink in. She couldn't quite determine what she was feeling. Was it relief? Disappointment? Pity?

"The good news is, it was not difficult to find a replacement."

"A replacement?" Hermione asked. She hadn't even _thought _of a replacement. She did not much enjoy the thought of having to room with another male who was not her counterpart. It somehow didn't feel right.

"Yes, a replacement." McGonagall said. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Ah, and there he is now."

McGonagall strode across the room, opened the door, and made a gesture to the new Head Boy to come in.

Hermione looked up. Standing there in the doorway, now looking at her, was Draco Malfoy, obviously clueless as to why he was there.

"Please sit, Mr Malfoy." McGonagall offered, making a gesture towards the seat next to Hermione.

Malfoy hesitated, then sat down. He did not spare Hermione another look. In fact, he seemed to be doing his best to pretend as though she weren't even there.

Hermione, on the other hand, had to resist the urge of dropping her jaw in awe. This had to be some kind of mistake. Malfoy, the new Head Boy? What on earth had Malfoy done to earn the title? How could McGonagall possibly _think _of handing over so much power to a Malfoy? How could she think of making Hermione live with Malfoy! It was ridiculous! It was unfair! It was wrong. There had to be some kind of mistake here.

"I'm sure you're curious as to why you are here." McGonagall said to Malfoy.

He nodded.

"I've been looking over your record, among other students, and you seem to have improved impressively since your first year. From last year to now has been the most dramatic change, a change that is definitely for the better. Your tardiness has improved, your grades have improved, and according to your professors, your attitude has improved."

Malfoy did not look smug. He did not look flattered. He did not show any expression, just continued to stare at McGonagall, waiting for her to get to the point.

"You will be the first student, next to Ms Granger, to know that our Head Boy has been revoked of his duties."

This caught Malfoy's attention. "Why?" He asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"Because of matters that will remain between Mr Potter and myself." she replied sharply. "And because Mr Potter has been revoked of his Head Boy duties, we are left with a very important position to fill. I, among other professors, feel that you have earned the title. Do you accept?"

Malfoy could not help but smile. Of course, why wouldn't he? He was being offered a position of great power. Perhaps the opportunity to bully first-years or put Harry and Ron in their place. Classic Malfoy, completely selfish and absolutely power hungry.

"Yes, I accept." he answered, his smile vanishing as he once again became expressionless.

"Excellent." McGonagall said. "Your things will be moved to the Head Boy and Girl dormitory tonight, then."

"My … my things? Moved? Oh no. I prefer to remain in the Slytherin dungeons, thank you." Malfoy said, obviously forgetting that the Head Boy and Girl were to room together.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "As Head Boy, you are expected to reside in the Head Boy and Girl dormitory, Mr Malfoy. The matter is not up for negotiation. Your things will be moved tonight, and tomorrow the announcement will be made of your new title. This is the order of things. If you choose to decline the offer, now is the time to do so."

Malfoy seemed to take this into consideration. He remained silent for a moment, thinking over the offer. Hermione glared at him.

"Fine, I accept." Malfoy said after a few moments. "Have Filch move my things, please."

McGonagall raised her eyebrow. "I was thinking more along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle."

Malfoy shrugged. "Whichever. Thank you, professor."

McGonagall nodded as Malfoy got up and left.

Hermione stared at him as he left, then said a quick thank you to McGonagall before chasing Malfoy out of the room.

"Why?" Hermione shouted down the corridor as Malfoy walked away.

He turned. "Why what?"

"Why would you accept? If you're so … so _repulsed _by me, why agree to live with me? Why make it more difficult for yourself?"

"I never said I was repulsed by you, don't put words into my mouth." Malfoy replied. "You think this is what I want? To live with a Mudblood? Believe me, I'd rather have a pile of dung living in the room next to me. Unfortunately, this is the way it has to be. You think I'm going to pass up an opportunity like this just because I can't stand to be near you? Like hell I will."

Hermione was near tears. "And why can't you stand to be near me?"

Malfoy smirked at her. "Because." he said simply. "You're a filthy Mudblood." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Hermione in a pool of tears and a world of pain that still she could not even begin understand.


	10. An Unexpected Turn of Events

Chapter 10

_An Unexpected Turn of Events_

That evening, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise and Pansy had all stopped by Hermione's dormitory, carrying Malfoy's luggage and expressing their deepest condolences to the Slytherin king.

"I don't know why you'd accept," Pansy whined. "I'd rather pass up the title than live with a nasty Mudblood."

Hermione, who'd been reading on the couch before the Slytherin gang had arrived, chose to ignore Pansy's comment.

"I'd be thrilled," Blaise said as he swaggered over to where Hermione sat and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "To be so close to something so scrumptious."

It was not meant as a compliment. It was not meant as flirting. Hermione could here the tone in his voice, a completely evil, untrustworthy tone that sent a chill down her spine. Disgusted, Hermione got up without a word and went to her bedroom.

There she remained for an hour or so, giving the Slytherins plenty of time to evacuate her common room. She felt sickened, having the likes of Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini hanging around in _her _home and insulting _her _heritage. But she felt even more sickened by the fact that her new roommate was none other than Draco Malfoy. Was this a cruel twist of fate? Was this her punishment for what she had done to Harry? How could McGonagall let them live together, when she knew their history? How was Hermione supposed to live peacefully with him after everything they'd been through in the last little while? Malfoy, in some way, had broken her heart. But he didn't. He couldn't have. Hermione did not have feelings - or romantic feelings anyways - for him. But she did have extreme sexual feelings for him, feelings of which he had deeply hurt the night before.

_But how can I be in so much pain just because he doesn't want to have sex anymore? _It didn't make sense. So what? So what if Malfoy finally smartened up. It was a wonderful thing, he had released Hermione from the hell she was in. But then why did it hurt so much? It was too much for Hermione to take. She needed to go for a walk. Get out of that damn dormitory, the dormitory that would no longer feel like home to her.

She got up and slowly and quietly opened the door to her bedroom, listening for any voices that may have still been in the common room. To her relief, it was silent. The Slytherins had left and Malfoy had gone to bed, thank goodness.

She stole past the common room, heading for the exit, when -

"And where are you off to at this time of night?"

Hermione's heart leapt to her throat out of sheer fear as she jumped at the sound of Malfoy's voice. She spun around suddenly, noticing Malfoy lying on the couch. Furiously, she cried, "What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me?!"

He raised an eyebrow at her, then used his hands to indicate his position. "I'm lying on the couch. I have been for a little while now. You consider this sneaking up on you?"

Hermione glared at him. "Don't scare me like that! I thought you were in bed!"

"Well, I'm not." He said, sitting up. "Where are you going?"

"Well that's none of your business, now is it?" Hermione shot at him.

"No, I suppose it's not, is it?" He asked, stretching his arms and picking up a book from the table.

"It must disgust you, doesn't it?" Hermione asked, fury pouring from her voice.

"What?" Malfoy asked, without looking up from the book he had begun to read.

"That you're sitting on a couch that a Mudblood has sat on. That you're reading a book that a Mudblood has touched. That you're _living _in a place that a Mudblood has breathed in for months."

"I know a sanitizing charm, don't you worry." Malfoy said as he continued to read.

Smoke was very near close to steaming out of Hermione's ears. Her face reddened to a drastically darker shade as she walked up to Malfoy and ripped the book out of his hand before throwing it across the room.

"What the hell is your problem?" Malfoy asked as he stood up before her, now feeling a surge of anger.

"What the hell is _your _problem?" Hermione demanded, her face inches apart from his own.

"What is _my _problem? I see no problem from me! In fact, I feel I'm being considerably nice given the circumstances. It seems to be _you _who has the problem, and you're just trying to push it off on someone else. What do you want, Granger? Do you want to go back to the way things were before? Would you like me to shag you senseless? Would you like to continue with our tirade of me forcing you into sex and you feeling guilty about it and trying to convince me that you don't want it, until you get it and you're fine for about five minutes before we repeat the whole cycle? Is that what you want? Because, from what I recall, that's what you were begging me to _stop._"

" No, that's not what I want!" Hermione exclaimed. "I want to know why you stopped this. Don't give me your bull about your mother or mates finding out, that's rubbish and you know it! That _never _bothered you before! So why now? Did you get bored of me? Did I suddenly lose my appeal? Am I no good anymore? Do I not please you the way you want to be pleased? I think I have a right to know, I think you owe me that much!"

"Yes, that's exactly it!" Malfoy shouted, his face now matching the color of Hermione's. "You're disgusting! You're repulsive! You don't please me, not at all! This … this hair disgusts me!" - he grabbed her hair and tossed it aside - "These lips disgust me!" - He ran a finger harshly along her lower lip - "This face disgusts me!" He took her cheek in his palm, his hand shaking from fury, and before he knew it, he had pulled her into a violent kiss, squeezing her shoulders ruthlessly as he engaged in a merciless battle of tongues that caught Hermione completely by surprise.

Malfoy pushed her backwards, throwing her into the nearest wall, then advanced on her and continued to kiss her.

Hermione slapped him hard round the face, causing him to retreat for a moment and glare at her with the utmost resentment. Hermione could see the anger in his eyes, she could _feel _it, because it was the same fury that she felt. They glared at one another for a quick moment, then Hermione advanced on him and pushed him onto the couch, where they continued to fight for dominance. Malfoy wasted no time, ripping off her clothes until she was completely naked, and Hermione did the same to him.

He shoved her off of him, then got up and bent her harshly over the couch, where he wasted no time plunging into her, without feeling any guilt because he could feel as he entered her that she was ready.

Hermione screamed at the suddenness of his plunge, then raised her bum higher and clutched onto the couch for dear life as Malfoy thrust relentlessly into her. Hermione's intense moans matched Malfoy's grunts as he worked his hips harder, faster, punishing her for what she did to him, for how she made him feel.

Hermione cried screams of ecstasy, completely forgetting the things that Malfoy had said and done, letting all the hate leave her body as Malfoy pushed himself harder and harder inside of her.

At last, they reached climax together.

Without a word, they each put their robes back on, both breathing heavily from the session they'd just had.

Finally, when they were both redressed, Malfoy turned to her. "I call you a filthy Mudblood. I tell you you repulse me, I tell you you disgust me, and still you let me shag you? If only every boy in this damn castle knew how easy you were. If only everyone knew what a disgusting little tramp the Gryffindor princess really is. Imagine how popular you'd be." He smirked and disappeared into his bedroom. Hermione was too shocked by the harshness of his words to retaliate, and instead of doing it like she should have, she spent the remainder of the night not sleeping, but stewing over Malfoy's words. Maybe he was right. _Maybe I am a tramp._

………………………………...

The weeks that followed that horrible evening were nothing but uneventful. Harry had barely said a word to anyone. He was not seen before or after lessons; only during, and even then he kept his eyes to the ground and his mouth shut. He did not attempt to confront Hermione, nor did he discuss his drinking with any other student. Even Ron did not seem to be as close to Harry as he had once been, all because of the wall that Harry seemed to be putting up.

And, even though the two were cohabiting, Hermione saw less of Malfoy than she saw of Harry. She chose to spend her evenings in the library, studying or reading, because anything seemed better than spending hours on end in her dormitory with Malfoy. His words had struck her hard, leaving her more confused and more hurt than she had felt before. For the first time, it felt as though he had used her for sex. But hadn't he always done that? Why else would he have done it? It seemed different that time though, that time in the common room. He was ruthless and he was cruel, and he had never, in the heat of the moment, been so. That night had by far increased Hermione's hate for him, and she had no wish to spend even a minute alone with him. So, she avoided the common room altogether, until the late hours of the night when he would retire to his bedroom, allowing her to sneak quietly passed the common room into her own bedroom.

And, perhaps it was all of the stress surrounding both Harry and Malfoy, but Hermione felt permanently exhausted. Lessons were growing increasingly difficult to stay awake in, and studying was become a tiring exercise in which she had to force herself to focus. It was getting to a point that she was making herself sick by exhaustion, constantly visiting the toilets from morning til night.

One morning, just as she was getting ready to leave the dormitory for that morning's lessons, she had a sudden wave of nausea go through her stomach, causing her to race to the bathroom. She reached the toilet just in time.

"Ugh, that's disgusting!"

Hermione, her face flushed from just being sick, took her head out of the toilet to see Malfoy framed in the doorway.

"Go away Malfoy," She said half-heartedly, not able to put the effort into being angry by his presence.

"Why do you keep throwing up?" Malfoy asked suspiciously.

"Excuse me?"

"You think I don't hear you in the wee hours of the morning? It's repulsive, hearing your gagging noises. Why don't you go see Madame Pomfrey?"

"Why don't you stick a toad down your throat?" Hermione retorted, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her robe and rinsing her mouth with water.

"Fine, go ahead and die or get worse. It makes no difference to me. I'm just sick of hearing the disgusting noises."

Hermione paid no attention as he left the dormitory. Instead, she thought about his advice. Perhaps she should go see Madame Pomfrey. She'd been sleeping fairly decent with the exception of the early sick trips, so why was she feeling so exhausted?

Instead of heading to lessons, Hermione took the several flight trip down to the Hospital Wing, which thankfully appeared empty.

"Ah, Ms Granger, so good to see you!" Madame Pomfrey smiled, bustling over to Hermione. "And why aren't you in lessons?"

Hermione explained her symptoms, becoming frustrated as she spoke by her endless exhaustion and sickness.

Madame Pomfrey's face grew more stern as her initial smile slowly faded away.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, noticing the face Madame Pomfrey was wearing.

"I knew you were too young … all the professors agreed … and now with his current condition … the state of you … how this could be …"

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. "Whose current condition? How could what be?"

"It appears, Ms, Granger," she began to say, still not looking all too pleased. "That you and Mr Potter are going to become parents."

"Mr Potter … Harry … parents? Me and Harry? What?!" Hermione exclaimed.

"You seem to be pregnant. I will of course do tests to ensure that this is correct. However, I'm already almost positive-"

"Pregnant?! How could that be?!" Hermione cried, panic rising to her throat. "No, that's not right. Do the test please. That can't be right."

Hermione waited rather impatiently as Madame Pomfrey performed a test (which thankfully did not involve peeing on a stick), and grew even more panicked as Madame Pomfrey confirmed her prediction to be true.

"No," she whispered, unable to believe it. "No. This can't be happening."

"Ms Granger, there are several different options. I will of course have to inform your Head of House … your parents … they need to know, of course-"

Hermione's eyes widened at the thought. No way would this get around. No way would her parents or Professor McGonagall or Professor Dumbledore or _anybody _hear about this.

Without thinking, she withdrew her wand in the blink of an eye and aimed it directly at Madame Pomfrey.

"_Obliviate_!" She cried.

Madame Pomfrey suddenly wore a temporary dumb stricken expression.

Horrified at what she'd just done, Hermione grabbed her bag, muttered a quick apology to the unaware school nurse, and bolted out of the Hospital Wing.

She ran until her legs could carry her no more, stopping in the middle of a deserted corridor. Her lungs burned and her heart raced as she leaned against the nearest wall, trying to catch a breath.

She had made the right choice in performing the Memory Charm on Madame Pomfrey. This was _her _problem, she could not have it floating around the school like some common gossip. No, she would have to deal with this on her own.

Pregnant! Hermione could all to clearly envision Malfoy's face as she told him the news. Repulsed. Infuriated. As panicked as she, perhaps.

Because it was Malfoy who was the father, of course. Not Harry. Imagine if the world knew Hermione would be giving birth to a Malfoy. The shame from Ron and the Gryffindors. The disappointment from the professors. The hatred from the remaining Malfoys …

There was only one choice. Hermione could not give birth to this baby. There was no way she was ready to become a mother, especially to the child of Draco Malfoy. No, she would have to figure something out. An abortion? No. It wasn't like she could Apparate out to a Muggle part of England and stroll into a clinic at the age of seventeen looking to abort a magical baby. She didn't have enough pounds for it anyways.

The library! Yes! When in doubt, go to the library. There would be something there … there _had _to be something there …

Hermione raced to the library, completely oblivious to the fact that she should have been in lessons right about then.

She searched through book after book, looking for anything to help deal with her situation. Every book felt like a dead end, as nothing mentioned anything even related to an unborn baby.

For hours she searched, scanning every book of Charms and Potions she could get a hold of, and still, nothing. But just as she was beginning to give up hope, just as she was about to call it a day, something caught her eye.

"_A pregnancy reverse potion …" _She whispered, reading one of the final pages from an old Potions book. "No way."

She read through it very fast, ignoring the long, detailed description of the potion and instead finding exactly what she was looking for:

_If a witch has been blessed with life that she does not wish to be blessed with at the time of conception, the Pregnancy Reverse Potion will cause the fetus to shrink over a period of 24 hours and …_

"Perfect!" Hermione cried, her heart feeling incredibly relieved. The potion would reverse the pregnancy. The fetus itself would go backwards in time until before it was born! And Hermione could go on living her life normally, without the thought of babies or Draco or anything that would ruin her life more than it seemed to have already been.

_But is it cruel? _She asked herself, feeling somewhat guilty. In the Muggle world, abortion was such a controversial issue. How was this any different?

_Because you're not killing the baby, _she told herself. _You're simply reversing time in its life. It's not the same. _

Not feeling altogether relieved, Hermione ripped the page out of the book, stuffed it into her robes and raced out of the library, fighting with herself as to whether she was making the right decision.


	11. A Sickening Discovery

Chapter 11

_A Sickening Discovery_

That night, after faking sick to a suspicious Professor McGonagall, Hermione sat on the sofa by the fireplace in the common room, pleased that Malfoy was nowhere to be found. She withdrew the instructions of the Pregnancy Reversal Potion from her pocket and studied the ingredients list. Much of it was simple, things she would find in her potion-making kit: Essence of Belladonna, caterpillars, and beetle eyes. However, much of it were things she did not have access to. Shrivelfig she had used in her third year, creating a Shrinking Solution for Professor Snape. That meant he would have it in his private stores. Other ingredients were familiar to her as well: asphodel root, which she knew was a key ingredient in the Draught of Living Death potion. Salamander blood she knew as well, as she had also used that in her third year to create a Strengthening Solution.

Hermione found these ingredients odd. Why would a prime ingredient used in a Strengthening Solution also be used in this particular potion? And the Draught of Living Death … the potion used to cause the drinker to fall into a deep sleep … was this somehow an omen? Was it telling Hermione that she was condemning her unborn child to death?

No. Ingredients can serve multiple purposes. Just because both potions shared one main ingredient did not mean that they were somehow related.

Hermione tried to set all emotions aside as she contemplated how she was going to do this. She needed Shrivelfig, asphodel root, and salamander blood, all of which she could almost be sure that Snape kept in his personal stores. She had only one choice: she had to break into Snape's office. But how? She wasn't with Harry anymore … she could not use his Invisibility Cloak at leisure. Or could she?

"You make a ridiculous face when you're thinking." A voice said. "Did you know that?"

Hermione jumped at the sound of Malfoy's voice. She hadn't even heard him come in.

"I thought you were gone for the night." Hermione retorted. That familiar anger she felt towards him was already beginning to boil to the surface.

"Yes, well, you thought wrong." Malfoy replied. "What's that you're reading?"

Hermione suddenly became aware of the bit of parchment she had in her hand. The parchment that would tell Malfoy _exactly _her situation, if he had the opportunity to see it.

"It's nothing," Hermione snapped, jamming the paper into her pocket. "Mind your own business."

"Why are you so edgy over 'nothing'?"

"I'm not edgy!" Hermione practically shouted. Then, in a calmer voice, she said, "I just thought I would have the place to myself tonight. Apparently I was wrong."

"Apparently." Malfoy said.

Hermione glared at him as he made his way over to the sofa directly across from Hermione's and plopped himself onto it.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm relaxing. On _my _couch. In _my _common room."

"_Our _common room." Hermione corrected angrily.

"Precisely. So what is your problem?"

"My problem is that you always have the entire common room to yourself. I thought for one night I would have it all to myself. Is that so much to ask?"

"Not really." Malfoy replied. "You should have asked me if that's what you wanted."

"I shouldn't have to ask you!" Hermione cried. "I deserve to have it for one night!"

"Well, you can have it another night. Not tonight."

"And why not tonight?"

"Because I have plans." Malfoy replied.

"Plans?" Hermione asked, suspiciously. "What kind of plans?"

Suddenly there came a knock at the entrance.

"Come in!" Malfoy shouted after shouting the password so that his mystery guest could be allowed entrance.

"Hi Draco!" A high-pitched voice cried as its owner bounced into the room, positively beaming to be in the presence of Draco Malfoy.

Pansy Parkinson. Of course.

"Plans, eh?" Hermione asked, angrily. "And what do you _plan _on doing?"

"I thought the Mudblood wouldn't be here?" Pansy spat, completely ignoring Hermione.

Malfoy shrugged. "I didn't think she would be."

"I'm not leaving." Hermione said huffily, crossing her arms and glaring at Pansy.

Pansy grinned maliciously at her. "I don't really give a damn whether you leave or not."

She sauntered over to Malfoy and, without hesitation, straddled him against the sofa. She begin to kiss him; a noisy, sloppy kiss that sickened Hermione to the bones. The kiss was not what bothered her, though. The kiss was just sickening. It was Malfoy's response to it … the fact that he was kissing back. The way his hands moved all over her body. The way he acted as though Hermione was not even there. It was that that made Hermione feel about as big as a mouse. Resisting the urge to cry, she turned and left the common room, needing to be anywhere but there.

How could Malfoy have such a sudden change of desire? How could he give her up for _Pansy Parkinson? _Hermione believed that she had pleased Malfoy, she really did. Their experiences together seemed to be mind-blowing -- for the both of them, not just for her. How could he give that up? Just throw it away, like yesterday's rubbish? And for what? To have his face licked by that dog of a Slytherin girl? She just could not comprehend it. She was missing something, she had to be. But what?

It didn't even matter. Malfoy showed his true colors over the past few weeks. Malfoy showed her the kind of person he really was, the kind of person she always thought he was up until their first encounter together. And tonight was just more incentive to brew that potion and get her situation dealt with.

She realized that she had to begin tonight. And she also realized that she could not do this without Harry's Invisibility Cloak. So, without a clear plan in mind, she headed to the Gryffindor tower, noticing that the students in the corridors were scattering as time inched closer to their curfew.

When she reached the Gryffindor common room, she found Ron and Ginny sitting by the fire, playing a game of Wizards Chess. She approached them cautiously, still feeling a burning resentment towards Ginny.

"Hello Ron," she said, completely ignoring his sister.

"Hey Hermione!" he said, surprised to see her. Then, he added, "What are you doing here?"

"I … er … came to talk to Harry. Just for a brief moment."

"He's up in the dormitory." Ron jerked his finger upwards. "He doesn't come out much."

"And what do you want with him?" Ginny asked, a hint of iciness in her voice.

"I'd like a word that has nothing to do with you. Don't worry, he'll still be there for you to dig your claws into once I'm gone."

Ginny made to retort but Ron kicked her under the table. Hermione said a quick goodbye to Ron before heading up to the seventh year boys' dormitories. When she entered, she found Harry lying on his side, eyes open and staring at nothing in particular.

He glanced up; he seemed slightly shocked to see her, but chose not to say anything.

He looked pathetic. Hermione felt, for the first time, pity towards him. She felt that his behavior was a full result of her ending their relationship, which made his behavior entirely her fault. But she just did not look at him the same, she could not look at him the same. The Harry she knew when he'd proposed to her was not the same Harry that was lying here pathetically today.

"Hello, Harry." she said quietly.

"'Ello," Harry replied.

"How … how are you?"

He looked up at her. "How do I look?"

"You look like a wreck." Hermione replied truthfully.

"So you've come to gawk at me? To laugh?"

"Of course not!" Hermione cried.

"Then what? Do you finally realize how miserable I am? How sorry I am? Are you finally willing to take me back?"

"Harry--"

Harry stood up, taking Hermione hands and leading her to a seat beside him on the bed.

"Hermione, I love you, more than I could ever say. This break between us, this break has only increased my love for you. It's made me realize what a fool I was, it's put the mistakes I've made into perspective. It's made me see that I cannot live my life without you. Don't you see? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me! And I was willing to throw that away for Ginny, or for Firewhiskey! I feel like such an idiot! I would never, never let that happen again. I would treat you like the queen that you are, I would be willing to spend the rest of my life making you ten times as happy as you've made me!"

"Harry, please--"

"No, Hermione. You came here. You came to see me. That must mean _something. _You must still feel _something _for me."

Before Harry would let her speak, she kissed her very gently on the lips.

It was a nice kiss. Not a wonderful, heart-pounding, romantic kiss, but a nice one nonetheless. And the things he'd said, they were all lovely as well. Hermione spent all of her time thinking about Malfoy, about what they'd been through together, and never in that time did Malfoy say anything remotely close to what Harry had just said to her.

But of course he didn't. Malfoy never loved her. Malfoy loved sex. And Hermione spent her days miserable over someone who just wanted her for sex? It was absurd! Hermione always wanted to fall in love and marry the one she loved. Sitting right here beside her was a boy who loved her, a boy who would do anything for her. A boy who told her how beautiful she was, how happy she made him. How could she have let herself fall so hard for Malfoy when she had everything she'd been looking for right here before her?

Before she knew it, she was returning Harry's kiss. It was a desperate kiss, she could feel it in the way his lips seemed so uncoordinated as they quivered with anxiety. But it was a kiss nonetheless. Hermione missed being kissed. She missed feeling like she was worth something, like someone wanted her.

Harry took her positive response as ammunition to go forwards. He ran his hand up the back of Hermione's neck and grasped a handful of hair, placing his other hand on her back and using it to push her body into his. His kiss grew less gentle, much more aggressive. Hermione tried to pull away, but he was pulling her body into him too tightly.

"Harry--" Hermione said as she pulled away for air.

"Hermione please," Harry said. "Please just let me--"

He continued to kiss her, then used his grasp on her hair to pull her head away from his, just so he could advance on her and continue with his over-aggressive kiss.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, shocked that he would pull her hair like that.

He did not listen though, and as he continued to kiss her, she reached into her pocket and poked her wand into Harry's stomach.

"_Confundo!" _she managed to cry, uttering the first spell that came to mind.

Harry backed away, appearing confused and disoriented. He did not look at Hermione; in fact, he hardly noticed she was there. Instead, he walked around the room, banging into bed posts, seemingly trying to "find himself".

"Like hell I'm getting back together with you," she spat, angrily glaring at him as he made his way around the room. He did not seem to hear her.

She bent down before the trunk at the foot of Harry's bed, then opened it and immediately found the silvery cloak that she needed to make her invisible.

She shot Harry a disgusted look once more, then threw the Invisibility Cloak over her head, thankfully able to leave the Gryffindor common room unnoticed.

She felt somewhat shaky as she made her way down to the dungeons. She couldn't believe the immense change in Harry. How could she possibly have loved him? How could he have changed so much in such a short period of time? He really was a fool.

Suddenly, a pair of voices caused Hermione to stiffen. Though under the Invisibility Cloak, she still felt rather exposed, and she chose to flatten herself against the nearest wall until the voices disappeared.

"Come on, Drakey, you need to relax!"

It was Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson!

"I'm relaxed quite fine, thank you." Malfoy replied, trying to resist Pansy as she tugged him forward.

"Obviously you're worried about the Mudblood coming back. I don't know why, seeing as something so trivial has never bothered you before, but alright, I can respect that. So let's just go to the Slytherin dungeons. I can get rid of my flat mates in a heartbeat and we'll have my entire dormitory to ourselves."

"Why can't you just accept that I don't want to shag you?" Malfoy asked exasperatedly.

"Then why did you invite me to your dormitory tonight?" Pansy demanded.

"I … I don't know." Malfoy replied lamely. "I'm just tired, alright? Maybe tomorrow."

"Fine." She replied angrily. "Fine. I'll just go find someone _else _who actually wants me and who actually appreciates me, since you obviously don't."

She stormed off towards the Slytherin dungeons, clearly hoping that Malfoy would follow her. He did not.

Instead, he muttered, "You're right, I don't." And he turned around and headed back to the Head Boy and Girl dormitories.

Hermione was shocked. Malfoy and Pansy did not shag. Not only did they not do it, but it was Malfoy who rejected her. But why? He was all over her in the common room when Hermione was there …

Hermione shook it off. Who cared? Apparently Malfoy lost his appetite for sex. Maybe he was gay. Hermione didn't care. She had a mission, and that mission came first and foremost before anything else.

Once she reached Snape's office, she pressed her ear against the dark, foreboding wooden door. No sound.

She withdrew her wand, whispered, "Allohomora", and with her hand shaking, she reached for the handle and opened it as quietly as possible.

Peering into the room, she saw an assortment of jars, all filled with creepy specimens. But she did not, thankfully, see Snape.

She locked the door, hurried over to his stores, pulled the cupboards open, and quickly found what she was looking for. Salamander blood … asphodel roots … Shrivelfig … all of it present and accounted for. However, their stock was low. If Hermione took them, Snape would know that someone had been there.

She could not worry about that, though. This potion was a necessity, she had to brew it to save both hers and Malfoy's life. She hurriedly stuffed the ingredients into her bag, slammed the doors shut and turned to leave when --

The door! It was opening!

Hermione fell to the ground and hurried to the corner of the room, pulling the Cloak more securely around her.

It took all of her power to refrain from gasping as Snape entered the room, not alone. He was followed by a woman, a woman Hermione had seen once before. The last woman she ever expected to walk into the room. Narcissa Malfoy.

What the hell was Malfoy's mother doing here at this hour? With Snape, of all people?

She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. Snape was going to tell her about what he'd seen between her and Malfoy. Snape was going to rat them out, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"I'm surprised you managed to come here tonight," Snape said quietly. "Unseen, I hope?"

"Of course. I borrowed my husband's Invisibility Cloak." Narcissa replied as she placed the cloak gently down on the nearest table.

"And where is Lucius this evening?" Snape asked, feigning carelessness although it was quite obvious he was rather interested.

"Out of town. Again." Narcissa replied bitterly. "Since the Dark Lord's defeat, he has rarely been home. How he expects me to stay at home as his loyal housewife while he's off gallivanting around the world for weeks on end without even _telling _me --"

"And so you chose to seek me this time?" Snape asked, taking hold of her hands.

Narcissa looked up into his eyes. "Yes, I chose to seek you."

"All of the times I've traveled to your Manor … all of the times you've told me that you couldn't do this, that _we _couldn't do this … now you choose to seek me?"

"Yes." Narcissa repeated.

Snape smiled, and Narcissa threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

If Hermione had been shocked at the presence of this woman, it was nothing to how she felt at that moment. She had to clap her hand over her mouth; whether it was to resist making a sound or resist throwing up, she did not know.

Snape and Narcissa carried on kissing, but the way Snape hurriedly wiped all his belongings off of the nearest table and propped Narcissa up onto it made Hermione realize that she definitely had to leave. She got up and quietly made her way across the room, though she doubted it made any difference as it seemed she could've smashed some of Snape's vile jars and neither of them still would have pulled apart from one another.

She opened the door quietly and stole out of the room. Though she should have been thrilled that she'd managed to get her ingredients, she could not help but feel sick as she made her way back to the common room, unsure of what to do with this new bit of information.


	12. Evil At It’s Finest

Chapter 12

_Evil At It's Finest_

"Where the hell have you been?"

This time, Hermione was not surprised to see Malfoy in the common room.

She rolled her eyes and said, "How many times do I have to tell you that it is none of your business what I do with my time?"

"You're past curfew."

"Yes, I'm well aware I'm past curfew."

"Snape dropped by."

Hermione's voice suddenly felt caught in her throat. She cleared it, then said, "When?"

"I don't know. Awhile ago. When you were still past curfew."

"And?"

"And, he's given you two detentions, one for missing his class today and one for missing curfew. He's also taken fifty points off Gryffindor."

"I was sick today!" she exclaimed, outraged.

"He says you couldn't have been sick enough to miss class if you were able to wander the corridors past curfew."

"That … that slug!" Hermione cried, her chest bubbling with anger.

"Just be glad that's the worst you're getting." Malfoy replied. "He didn't mention the two of us, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't." Hermione said coldly.

"Well, maybe you should be." Malfoy replied. "He alone has the power to destroy both of us."

"I think if he wanted to do it, he'd have done it already."

"Or maybe he's waiting to catch us in the act again." Malfoy suggested.

"Yes well that won't be happening anytime soon now will it?"

Malfoy fell silent. Apparently he'd run out of things to say.

"Malfoy, where is your father?" Hermione asked suddenly before she could stop herself.

He stared at her, unsure why she would ask such a question and unsure how to answer it. "How should I know? At our Manor, probably."

"How's he been doing since … since Voldemort's defeat?"

Now Malfoy seemed outraged. "Why the hell would you care?"

"I … I don't know. I'm just curious." Hermione replied timidly.

"Well he's been a damn wreck. He's never home. Probably afraid Scrimgeour will find some evidence on him eventually that'll convict him."

"Good." Hermione muttered.

"Excuse me?" Malfoy thundered, darting up immediately so that he was standing right before Hermione. "Good? Is that what you said?"

"Lucius was a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Hermione replied, refusing to be intimidated by Malfoy's stature. "Anyone who was a follower deserves to be punished."

"And to hell with his family, right? To hell with his wife? With his son? With Blaise?" Malfoy shouted.

"Blaise?" Hermione asked, confused. "Blaise Zabini?"

"Yes, Blaise Zabini. Blaise's parents died in the final battle. My family, we took him in, just until he finishes school and can get out on his own. You think its so easy to be all moral, you think you have the right to cast judgment on people when you know _nothing!"_

Fury danced in Malfoy's eyes, and for the first time in his presence, she felt scared.

"I … I'm sorry." She said quietly, looking at the ground.

Malfoy glared at her. "I'd be sorry too, if I were a Mudblood."

………………………………...

Hermione awoke the next morning, so tired that she seriously considered missing another day. She'd stayed up almost the entire night, brewing the Pregnancy Reversal Potion. It wasn't exactly a difficult potion. She just took her time, carefully reading over the instructions four or five times, making sure to do everything exactly as it was meant to be done. Finally she was finished though, and in forty eight hours, she would be able to drink the potion and forget that this nightmare ever happened.

She could not help but think about the baby as she prepared the potion, though. There was a baby -- a little person -- growing inside of her. It was so hard to believe, seeing as she was just a child herself. But even if she _wanted _to have the baby, there was no way she could take care of it the way it needed to be taken care of. No, she was making the right decision. Her brain told her that she was. Her heart, on the other hand --

BANG!

Hermione flew to the floor, just outside the teacher's lounge, her books scattering everywhere as she landed sorely on her behind. Directly in front of her was Ron, also sprawled on the floor, his books now in the same messy pile that Hermione's were.

"Sleep walking?" Ron asked jokingly as he rubbed his head.

"Sorry Ron, I was just lost in thought, that's all."

She got up and began sorting out their things, making a neat pile of her books and a neat pile of his. He got up and began doing the same.

"Hermione, what's this?" Ron asked as he read a bit of parchment.

Hermione looked up, and to her horror, saw that he was holding the instructions to brewing the Pregnancy Reversal Potion in his hands.

"It's nothing!" She cried, somewhat shrilly as she snatched the parchment out of his hands.

"Pregnancy Reversal Potion?" Ron asked. "You're not … you're not _pregnant?" _He whispered, astounded.

"No! Of course not!" Hermione said immediately, almost shouting at him because she could not control her voice. "It's just something … something I was looking at … it doesn't _mean _anything …"

"Hermione," Ron said seriously. "I'm your best mate. You can tell me anything."

Hermione felt near tears. "Please Ron, I don't want it getting out, no one can know."

Ron nodded. "But Harry told me you never … you know … _did it_."

Hermione stared at him, racking her brain for something, _anything _to say. "He lied. For my sake, probably. Didn't want anyone knowing, you know. And I'd prefer you not say anything to him, I'm embarrassed enough as it is."

"But isn't that why you broke it off with him in the first place? Because you weren't … you know … _ready?_"

"Can you just drop it please, Ron?!" Hermione cried shrilly. "I don't care to discuss my issues with Harry with you!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. But Hermione, why do you have that parchment? You're not going to kill the baby, are you?"

"It's not killing the baby!" Hermione whispered defensively. "It just reverses the pregnancy. Makes it like it never happened. I can't have a baby, Ron. I'm too young. Harry and I aren't even together. I need to do this. Once I take the potion, I will never have to think about this again. It'll be done, for good. No baby, no problems, nothing, forever. Please Ron, don't say anything--"

"You have my word." Ron smiled sadly.

They continued down the corridor together, talking quietly about Hermione's situation, both of them completely oblivious to the dark shadow that had been lurking just around the corner.

………………………………...

That evening had an eerie darkness to it; a foreboding darkness that Severus Snape felt throughout his bones as he stole through the night just outside of London, moving cautiously for fear of magical securities.

Soon enough though he reached his desired destination, unscathed but still afraid. He had tried contacting her ahead of time, but without luck. What did that mean? Was he back? Had Lucius returned?

It was a risk that he had no choice but to take. He had to see her … had to speak with her …

Suddenly, a noise! An earsplitting noise! Snape looked up to see a great-horned owl, silent in the way it soared above him but dangerously piercing as it shrieked incessantly, warning it's masters of an unwanted intruder.

"Who's out there?" A voice called.

Snape peered around the tree that he had taken refuge behind and saw Narcissa Malfoy timidly make her way onto the porch, her arm outstretched as she aimed her wand at anything that moved.

Taking the risk, Snape stepped out from behind the tree.

Narcissa, seeing only the dark shadow of a man, immediately cried, "_Stupef-_"

Before she could finish, however, Snape's wand was aimed at her and he cried, "_Expelliarmus!"_

Narcissa's wand went flying through the air, but she paid no attention to it.

"Severus!" She cried. "What are you doing here? You … you can't be here! Lucius is due back tonight, you can't go taking such foolish risks--"

Snape glided across the lawn of the Manor until he reached her. He held her face in both of his hands and said, "In my eyes it is never foolish to want to see you."

"Oh, Severus--" Narcissa began.

"I tried to contact you earlier, Narcissa. My attempts failed. Unfortunately, tonight is not a night for pleasure. We must speak."

Narcissa looked surprised. "Well then, come in."

The pair headed for the sitting room, and once there, Snape asked Narcissa to sit down. He, however, chose to stand.

"Now before I tell you what I am about to tell you, you must understand my position here. You must understand that I would have told you sooner had I had not cared about you, had I not cared about hurting you."

"Hurting me? Severus, what are you talking about?"

"Also, at the time, it did not seem as big of an issue as it has become. If I'd known … if I'd known it would have escalated to this … I would have told you, I would have put a stop to it. I would have given you the choice to put a stop to it."

"Put a stop to what, Severus? You're scaring me. Please just tell me what's going on."

"It's … it's Draco."

"Draco?" Narcissa cried. "What about Draco? Is he alright? Is he hurt? Is he in trouble?"

"He is alright, in general terms." Snape replied slowly. "He may be in trouble though."

Narcissa looked near tears. "You tell me what's wrong right now, Severus!"

Snape sighed. "A few weeks ago, I encountered your son … er, _fraternizing … _with another student. A female student."

"Fraternizing? What do you mean?" Narcissa demanded.

"They were engaged in … sexual activity." Snape explained, utterly repulsed at the thought.

Narcissa laughed. "Is that all? Draco is a boy, Severus! He is of age now! He should be married soon, it's natural he'll be exploring his--"

"You don't understand." Snape interrupted.

"What don't I understand?"

"The student that I had caught him with, she is not the kind of student you will want your son with."

"Why?" Narcissa asked. "Is she not a Slytherin? A Ravenclaw, perhaps? I'm not _that _strict, Severus! Just as long as she's a nice, pureblooded girl--"

"That, I am afraid, is where the problem lies." Snape said quietly.

"WHAT?" Narcissa exploded. She stood up in an instant, her nose only an inch away from Snape's. "What do you mean? Tell me my son is not seeing a half-blood. Tell me--"

"Granger." Snape said. "Hermione Granger."

Narcissa's eyes widened in shock, but she seemed to lose the ability to speak. She lowered herself back down and leaned back against the sofa, regaining her calm.

"No …" She said quietly after quite some time. "No, you are mistaken. Not that Mudblood. You've been mistaken, Severus. Draco _hates _her. Draco sees her for the vile little creature that she is. Draco understands that he is not to be with _anyone _of that … of that _kind, especially _not _her!_ Hermione Granger!"

"I am not mistaken, Narcissa." Snape said as he sat himself beside her. "But I'm afraid that's not all."

"What do mean, _that's not all_?" Narcissa cried. "What more could there be? What _worse _could there be?"

"It was one time that I witnessed this occurrence." Snape said. "Never again afterwards had I seen them together, had I seen any sign that it had been continuing. I thought my words had impacted him. I thought he had regained control of his mind, began thinking clearly about his actions. I honestly believed there was no need to tell you, because there was nothing worth telling."

"What is it, Severus?" Narcissa asked in a deathly silent voice.

"I believe -- I am not certain, but I am almost sure -- that Granger is now carrying Draco's child."

A vein in Narcissa's forehead began to protrude, a vein that Snape had never noticed before. She did not scream, she did not get visibly angry, but Snape was still incredibly nervous to be sitting right beside her.

"How can you be sure?"

"Last night, after you left, I noticed that ingredients had been missing from my personal stores. Salamander blood … Shrivelfig … asphodel roots … all of the necessary ingredients for the Pregnancy Reversal Potion."

"But these are very common ingredients!" Narcissa exclaimed. "This is what you are basing your theory on?"

"This potion is the only potion that all three are used in together." Snape explained. "And before you arrived, I had gone to visit Granger in her common room to punish her with detention, only to discover that she was out past curfew. Her location unknown."

"That's it? Snape, if that is all--"

"And finally, I overheard her this morning, telling the Weasley boy that she is pregnant."

Narcissa went to retaliate, but had nothing. Then, she said, "But Granger is engaged to Potter! Obviously she is a disgusting little tramp, why are you so sure that her abomination is my Draco's?"

"Granger broke off the engagement with Potter weeks ago, Narcissa." Snape said. "Many believe it is because of Potter's irresponsible behavior. I do not. I believe it is because of Draco. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that Granger and Potter never … er, were _intimate _with one another. Granger was little miss perfect. The Gryffindor princess. At least, until Draco came along."

"Enough!" Narcissa cried. "Enough! So what if it _is _Draco's? Granger is finally using that thick head of hers. The Pregnancy Reversal Potion, you said? It sounds self-explanatory to me. Once she takes the potion, none of us will have to worry about this again. I will of course have to have a good, long talk with my _son_--"

"I'm afraid you are missing something here, Narcissa. The Pregnancy Reversal Potion, it is true to it's name, it will send the pregnancy in a time warp backwards, continually shrinking the fetus until it becomes nothing bigger than the size of a pea."

"And that is good, is it not?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes." Snape replied. "Temporarily. There is no potion meant for killing an unborn baby. If there were, it would be illegal, right up with the Unforgivable Curses. Witches and wizards centuries ago had never considered the thought of killing an unborn baby. Why would they? Who does not want a child? Who would cast their own away, and for what reasons would they have to justify it? No, the thought had never occurred to anyone. However, as time went on, our kind developed. We soon had the power to do anything we set our minds to, to become anything we wanted to be. And sometimes -- very rarely, but sometimes -- a child came at a time that was inconvenient for the bearers. That was when a very ambitious witch, Rinalda Humwhell, the prosperous and promising Minster for Magic of her time, brewed the Pregnancy Reversal Potion. A potion that reverses the time of the baby's life by shrinking the fetus, but does not abolish the fetus altogether. Instead, it continues to live inside it's mother, ungrowing, until the mother chooses to take the antidote, which will reverse the reversal and the fetus will continue to grow healthily at a time that is more fit for the bearers of the child."

"So you mean--"

"Yes. Granger has found a temporary solution. But she will always have the power to reverse the potion. She will always be able to brew the antidote, and at any time, she will be able to birth Draco's son."

"No." Narcissa whispered. "No! I can't hear anymore! This is sickening, Severus! This disgusts me, from my bones to my heart! What if this abomination _is _Draco's? What am I supposed to do? How can I let that … that vile little Mudblood carry _my _son's child? No, I cannot. I will not. There must be _something--"_

Snape smiled, an evil, menacing smile. "This is where our only shred of good news lies."

"What do you mean?" Narcissa demanded.

Snape continued to smile. "After overhearing the conversation between Granger and Weasley this morning, I became aware that Granger is not aware of the full effects of the potion. She believes it will terminate the child, for good. She knows nothing of an antidote, she knows nothing of the fact that the child will still be inside of her, regardless of whether she takes the potion or not."

"So?" Narcissa snapped.

"So, we can use this bit of information to our advantage." Snape explained.

"She needs to give birth to this child." Narcissa muttered. "She needs to give birth to it, so that I can destroy it. There is no way I will have my son's name smeared throughout wizarding history because a tramp of a witch has bamboozled him."

"Precisely." Snape said, smiling.

"Precisely what?" Narcissa asked, angrily. "Why are you smiling? If she _does _give birth to the child, Draco will be ruined!"

"Not exactly." Snape said. "Granger does not know of an antidote. So what if she gives birth to the child, but believes that the father is someone else?"

"And how can that be accomplished, if my son is the only boy she has cursed with her wickedness?"

"What if we can find someone to do a job for us? If we slip her the antidote after she's slept with someone else? She will be pregnant once more, and she will believe the child is this other man's. I will not be so foolish as to leave my stores so easily accessible anymore. She will not have the ingredients, therefore she will be forced to give birth to the child. No one will know that Draco had any hand in it."

"And once she gives birth to the abomination, I can destroy it." Narcissa said, wearing the same evil same that Snape had been wearing.

"The only question is, where do we find someone willing to do this job for us?"

Narcissa smiled once more. "I have just the boy."


	13. Taking It Slow

Chapter 13

_Taking it Slow_

Over the following days, Hermione spent a great majority of her time with Ron. It was nice, having someone to talk to, someone to voice her worries and concerns to. The only thing that she could not tell him was about her affair with Malfoy. About the fact that the baby was indeed Malfoy's. There were many times that she considered telling Ron about the whole mess. Everything, from her sleeping with Malfoy to get back at Harry to her having addictive sexual feelings towards him. But she just couldn't bring herself to doing it. The shame that Ron would feel, the disgust, the judgment he would place upon her. She just could not do it, no matter how much she longed for someone to talk to.

However, one thing brightened her mood, and that was that she had taken the Pregnancy Reversal potion. She'd contemplated; Oh, she'd contemplated more than she'd ever contemplated anything in her entire life. But she decided that she had no choice; she had to take the potion, whether she wanted to or not. So she did, and the relief she felt was astounding. No more baby to worry about, no more anxieties about the possible outcomes of the situation. She felt, to best describe it, free.

Christmas was rapidly approaching, as was the Christmas holidays. Students would soon be returning home, which Hermione was more than grateful for. McGonagall had asked her to stay, as Head Girl. It was not mandatory, but it was encouraged. Hermione gladly obliged. She did not think she could face her parents without telling them about the pregnancy, and there was no way she wanted them to know. Ron had invited her to the Burrow of course, but Harry and Ginny would be there, and she definitely would not be in that atmosphere willingly. So, she agreed to remain behind, thankful to have the time to herself, and to have time away from Ron, who she felt guiltier by the day for constantly lying to him.

After saying goodbye to Ron for the holidays, Hermione gladly returned to her common room, prepared to start some of the homework that all of her professors had piled on her. She was surprised, however, to see Malfoy, snoozing on the sofa.

He looked so peaceful. An unsuspecting witch or wizard would be none the wiser to the evil being that he was when not in this form. She did not want to wake him, but if she didn't, then he would miss the train home, and Hermione would not have him stuck with her for the holidays. Absolutely not.

She walked over to him and shook his shoulder.

"Malfoy," she whispered in his ear. He did not wake.

She rolled her eyes, then kneeled beside him and shook him a little harder.

"Malfoy," she whispered louder. But to no effect.

Getting angry, she doubled the force in her shake, causing him to roll over slightly. Still, nothing.

Now she was feeling worried. "Malfoy!" she said louder. Still, he did not wake. She took his cheek in her hand, feeling for a pulse with her remaining one. She found one. She shook him harder, her heart turning cold as still he did not wake --

But no, his eyes fluttered open. Hermione still held his face in her hand as her other hand clung to his shoulder from shaking him. Her face was no further than two inches from his, and she felt ridiculous as he stared at her, not saying a word. She went to stand, pulled her hand away from his cheek, but he grabbed it and held it there, staring fiercely at her before wrapping his other hand around her neck and drawing her closer to him. He was kissing her! A warm, gentle kiss on the lips. Hermione got lost within it, returning his kiss not with passion exactly, but with … love?

Suddenly, he pushed her away. He sat upright and she stood immediately, surprised at his sudden change in demeanor.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Malfoy demanded, standing to face her directly.

"What … what am _I _doing?" Hermione asked, shocked. "What are _you _doing? You kissed _me!"_

"I … I was distorted! I'd just woken up! I thought you were Parkinson! What, now you're taking advantage of me when I _sleep?_ You just can't get enough of me, can you?"

Hermione was furious now. "I just wanted to tell you that the train was leaving soon! You're _such _a moron, Malfoy! I wanted to tell you so you wouldn't miss it, so you'd get the hell out of here, so I can have some time _away _from you!"

Malfoy smirked. "You're out of luck, Mudblood. I'm not going home."

"What do you mean you're not going home?!" Hermione demanded.

"I mean it exactly as it sounds." Malfoy replied. "I'm staying. Probably for the same reason you are."

"What, McGonagall asked you to stay?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I am Head Boy, you know."

"Yes but I didn't think you'd actually _stay!_ Don't you want to see your family?"

"What for? My father is doing business for the Ministry in Tokyo. My mother has been preoccupied lately, off doing Merlin only knows what. She encouraged Blaise and I to remain here. So whatever. I don't care."

"I … I'm sorry." Hermione said quietly.

Malfoy snorted. "Yeah, you're sorry that I have to stay. Don't try and act as though you're not selfish or only thinking about yourself right now."

"I was being sincere!" Hermione cried.

"I'm sure you were." Malfoy said.

"Look, if we're both stuck here during the holidays without lessons to give us time apart then I think we need to set up some ground rules."

Malfoy smirked. "What kind of ground rules?"

"We should set up a schedule for the common room. Times that I can have it and times that you can have it, so we don't have any problems with one another."

"Problems?" Malfoy asked. "I have no problems. I'm perfectly content. I don't feel the need for a schedule."

"Well I do!" Hermione said, her face blazing with fury.

"Well, when have I been known to care about what you want?" Malfoy asked.

Hermione crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Yes, you're right, when _have _you been known to care about what I want? You managed to ruin my life without really giving a damn, didn't you?"

"Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic?"

"No, I don't!" Hermione cried. "I was so _happy _before you came along! I was engaged, I was to be married to someone who I loved! And now look at me! I'm all alone! No fiancé and no friends, except for Ron who spends half his time with the two people I hate most."

Malfoy laughed. Hermione stared at him, disbelievingly.

"What the hell are you laughing at!" Hermione demanded.

"Oh, I just find it funny, the fact that you seem to blame me for all of this, claim that _I _ruined your life, when it was Potter who was the reason that you came to me in the first place."

"I didn't come to you, you just happened to be the person I saw first. I just happened to run into someone who would so carelessly take advantage of me."

Now Malfoy began to get angry. "I did _not _take advantage of you, you _begged _me to take you! Do you honestly think there is any bloke in this whole damn school that would have said no to you that night? You made yourself any easy target, and that was Potter's fault, not mine."

"But I would have been able to forgive Harry if it hadn't been for you! If you hadn't interfered in our relationship the way you did!"

"You really think that?" Malfoy asked.

"Yes I do." Hermione replied confidently.

"I don't. I think the only reason you stayed with Potter was because of what happened with us."

"How the hell does that make sense?" Hermione demanded.

"You forgave Potter because you felt guilty for what you did. You didn't think it would be fair to cast him aside for what he did with the Weasley girl considering what you had done had been so much worse. You stayed with Potter out of guilt, not love. Stop throwing your blame at me as though I'm such a terrible person when the only person you can blame for your hell is yourself and Potter."

Hermione glared at him with hatred as he spoke, but when he finished, the hatred slowly left her face to be replaced with sadness and self-pity. He eyes began to burn with tears, and she fell into an arm chair and dropped her head into her hands.

"Maybe you're right." She whispered as the tears began to flow silently. "Maybe this is all my fault. I shouldn't have gone to you the way I did, and I apologize for that. I shouldn't have _kept _going to you after that. I should have just told Harry the truth. We would have worked through it, I know we would have. I wasn't forced to do what you said or wanted, I had a choice. I could have said no to you, I could have told Harry the truth, and I'd probably still be with him today."

"So why didn't you?" Malfoy asked, his voice sounding slightly less condescending.

"Because I was scared." Hermione replied simply, her head still in her hands. I was scared, and …"

"And what?" Malfoy pressed as her voice faded away.

She looked up at him. She noticed the softened expression on his face. His eyes no longer looked full of contempt and dislike, but instead he looked curious and almost compassionate.

She sighed. "And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed our encounters. Yes, I felt guilty. Yes, I didn't want to hurt Harry. Yes, I felt what I was doing was wrong. But I enjoyed it, and I felt guilty for that. I wanted you Draco, just as much as I thought you wanted me."

Malfoy stared at her, lost for words. He'd suspected, of course … why else would she be so upset when he broke things off with her? But to hear it, to hear her say these words … he just did not know what to say.

"I … I wanted you too." Malfoy admitted quietly.

"Well obviously you did or you wouldn't have done what you did." Hermione replied.

"No, you don't understand." Malfoy said, frustrated and wondering if he'd regret what he was about to say. "Not just for sex. I mean, don't get me wrong, you were a _great _shag_--_" Hermione could not help but smile. "-- but I started … I don't know … _feeling _something. Something unexpected. I didn't know what to make of it. I freaked out, I got in over my head, it was more than I could deal with. So I ended it."

Now Hermione was at a loss for words. She was shocked to here him say this. "You started feeling something? What do you mean?"

"I liked you, okay Granger?" Malfoy replied angrily. "I don't know, I don't know what did it, but I liked you. Or I didn't completely hate you, anyways. And I couldn't deal with that. How could I? You're you. You're no pureblood, you have no magical blood in you whatsoever. You're the Gryffindor princess, little miss know-it-all, part of the Golden Trio of losers. How could I have liked you?"

"Very flattering, Malfoy." Hermione replied. But she did not feel insulted at all. She felt … well, she didn't know how she felt. She felt a pressure inside of her, a strange pressure in her chest that was rapidly growing stronger as her mind began to comprehend what Malfoy was saying.

"So … so you didn't end it with me because you were sick of me?" She asked, looking up at him. "You ended it because you started having feelings for me?"

Unable to turn back now, Malfoy nodded. "But that was then. I've smartened up now. I did the right thing, I broke it off."

Hermione smiled. "So that means if you've lost all of your feelings for me, then you have no problem going back to manipulating and blackmailing me, right? That means that you can shag me whenever you'd like, just like you used to, without any feelings getting involved. You liked it then, so why not continue it?"

She was pushing him, forcing him to get everything off of his chest.

Malfoy shook his head.

"And why not?" Hermione asked, suppressing a smile.

Malfoy stood, so abruptly that it startled Hermione. He glared at her angrily, shouting, "What are you playing at? What is it that you want, Granger? Are you waiting for me to tell you that I still have feelings for you? That I don't want to continue our little shag-fest because I'm just so afraid that old feelings will reemerge and I'll somehow fall in love with you and want to start a life with you against the better judgment of my family and friends?"

Hermione stood as well, hesitating before she bravely and confidently took hold of both of his hands. "I just want you to be honest with me."

Malfoy looked into her eyes, which were glossy from just crying, and saw that she felt something for him, something more than just sex, which is all that she had claimed to feel. She squeezed his hands gently, reassuringly, and all thoughts of right and wrong and family and friends flew from his mind as, for one moment, it felt like she and him were the only two people on earth.

He took her face with both his hands and pulled it towards his own until their lips met, and his heart suddenly began pounding faster as the exhilaration of the kiss pumped rapidly throughout his blood.

Hermione felt the same way as she kissed him -- not hungrily, but passionately. Not the way she'd kissed Harry, but not the way she'd kissed Malfoy before either. This was a different kiss, a different feeling, and at the very moment, Hermione realized that she had never been in love with Harry. That moment as she and Malfoy kissed, that feeling she felt during that kiss that she had never experienced before, that feeling was love. She realized, at that very moment, that she was in love with Malfoy.

They pulled apart, staring at one another before Hermione could manage a small smile. Malfoy could not think of anything to say, so Hermione took advantage of that moment by pulling him into another kiss, this time more like one of the ones they'd shared during their first few encounters. As they kissed, Hermione tried to lead him over to the couch, but Malfoy resisted her attempt. She pulled away from him, confused.

"What?" she asked, afraid that he would take back what he'd said and done and choose to be ignorant to his feelings once again.

"I just--" he began. But his words failed him.

"What?" Hermione asked, more softly this time.

"I just want to take things slowly." he finished lamely.

"Slowly?" Hermione asked. "It's not like we haven't done this before."

"Yes, I know," Malfoy replied. "But that was different. This, what's happening now, this is different."

"And what exactly is happening now?" Hermione asked, smiling.

"I don't know." Malfoy replied. "But whatever it is, I don't want to rush it."

Hermione continued to smile as she looked into Malfoy's eyes and saw the familiar flicker of caring that she'd seen in them the night of Harry's party. It was enough to make her heart feel three times lighter.

Instead of doing what Hermione had wanted, they pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around themselves as they laid together on the couch, neither saying another word as they drifted off to sleep together.

………………………………...……...

They ended up sleeping through the night, and in the morning they got up and dressed and chose to go down to the Great Hall together.

As they walked down to breakfast, the corridors silent in the absence of all of the students, Malfoy put his arm around her shoulder, causing the suits of armor to whistle as they passed.

"Ah shove it." Malfoy said to them as Hermione giggled.

She did not want to ask him where their friendship was going or what was going to happen. Since the night before, she felt as though she were on Cloud Nine, and there was no way she was going to ruin that with the "where is this going" conversation. Instead, she let herself be carried away by this newfound feeling of love, and that in itself was quite enough for now.

When they reached the Great Hall, Malfoy removed his arm from Hermione's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"It's just … Blaise." Malfoy said, somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh yes," Hermione said. "I'd forgotten he was staying as well."

"You understand, don't you? Until I figure this out, I'd rather not … you know … _parade _it around. Blaise lives with my family and I, you know, and if they knew that--"

"I understand, you don't have to explain it to me." Hermione said. "I managed to hate you before, I'm sure I can muster up some of those feelings for a little while longer."

Malfoy grinned, and (after checking to see if the coast was clear) leaned in and gave her a small kiss before the two of them entered the Hall together, neither giving the other the acknowledgement that they had noticed one another.

As per usual when few students chose to remain behind, only one large table stood in the centre of the Great Hall, occupied by a great majority of the staff and only a handful of students, Blaise Zabini and Luna Lovegood being among them.

Malfoy gave Blaise an acknowledging wave as he swaggered over to him, and Hermione headed for the opposite side of the table next to Luna.

Snape, who was sitting to the right of Dumbledore, glared fiercely at Malfoy, though Hermione could not understand why. Was it because the two of them had come in together? Did Snape still believe that there was something going on between them?

_Who cares, _Hermione thought. _Soon enough, it will be out in the open. Draco will tell his family and friends, and everyone will just have to learn to live with it._

"Good morning Mr Malfoy, Ms Granger." Dumbledore said, smiling at them with that notorious twinkle in his eye, as though he knew something that no one else could possibly know. "How wonderful to have our Head Boy and Girl join us during the holiday festivities!"

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said.

Malfoy muttered something that sounded like "good morning", but was rather muffled due to the toast and kippers that he had started shoving into his mouth.

Hermione noticed Snape staring at her, seemingly absent-mindedly, but the moment she looked at him, he turned away and initiated conversation with Professor McGonagall.

Breakfast was quite a feat for Hermione to endure. She could barely eat, not with the thought of the previous night still playing vividly in her mind, and not to mention that Malfoy was sitting right across the table from her. She felt a slight twinge in her stomach when Malfoy hadn't even given her the slightest indication of a goodbye as he and Blaise left the Great Hall, but Hermione chose to ignore it. He was doing what he had to do, he was taking his time. If time was what he needed, then time was what she would give him, without hesitancies or questions or doubts.

When Hermione finished and began making her way towards the exit, she was stopped by Professor Snape calling after her.

"Ms Granger, I'd like a word." He said, stopping her halfway between the table and the doors.

He strode towards her, and although they were quite easily out of earshot, Snape still said in a low voice, "Come to my office tonight at 7 o' clock, no later."

"Sure, professor," Hermione said, somewhat startled. "But why--"

"Just make sure you are there!" He ordered, turning instantly back to the breakfast table, his black cloak trailing behind him.


	14. The Darkened Corridor

Chapter 14

_The Darkened Corridor_

Malfoy did not return to he and Hermione's shared common room that day. Hermione, who had a mountain of homework to get started, ploughed her way through that throughout the day, but found it difficult to concentrate as she was always wondering when Malfoy would finally walk through the door.

At about half past six, Hermione finally put her books away, getting ready to leave for Snape's office. Just as she was about to leave, however, Malfoy sauntered in, followed by Blaise Zabini.

"Well hello Granger," Blaise said, casting her an odd smile.

"Hullo Blaise," Hermione replied dully as she pulled on her school robes over the comfortable tank top that she had been wearing.

"Don't you look lovely." Blaise continued, walking up to her and throwing his arm around her. "Very lovely indeed."

"Blaise, knock it off." Malfoy said carelessly, although Hermione could hear that familiar flicker of anger in his tone.

Hermione shrugged Blaise's arm off of her shoulder, then said to Malfoy, "I've got a meeting with Professor Snape. I won't be too long."

"What, now she's got to report to you?" Blaise asked Malfoy. "Nice job mate, next it'll be a leash and a whip."

Hermione bit her lip, choosing to ignore Blaise's comment. Malfoy was acting as though he hadn't heard it at all as he turned and pulled out some of his own homework. Seeing that he obviously wasn't going to acknowledge her presence, Hermione left the common room, feeling somewhat angry at him as she left.

What was he playing at? Sure, he wanted to keep what had happened the night before on a low profile. But to allow his mate to talk so indecently to her? It was almost disgusting. Yes he had always allowed them to do so … but on the other hand, he had never liked her before the way that he claimed to now. Maybe this was all a ploy. Maybe he didn't even like her, maybe it was some ludicrous conspiracy between him and the other Slytherins to make her look like a fool …

Before she knew it, she was standing before Snape's classroom in the dungeons. It hadn't really occurred to her until that very moment that she had no idea what it was that Snape wanted. She didn't think it was school-related, seeing as she had been pulling E's out of his class ever since the start of term. Did it have to do with Draco? Did he know? Was he going to lecture her? Threaten her?

Her hand shaking slightly now, she knocked loudly on the door.

"Come in," a sharp voice said, and Hermione was more than relieved to see not just Snape, but Hagrid there with him as well, both of them sipping down what Hermione suspected to be Firewhiskey.

"Well hello, Hermione!" Hagrid greeted merrily, seeming a little happier than usual. "What are yeh doin' here?"

"I … er … was asked to come," Hermione said. "by Professor Snape."

"Ah, well I won' be stayin' too long! Just came to borrow some stuff that yeh can only get from the Potions master … ain' that right, Snape?"

Snape pursed his lips and nodded ever so slightly, his drink almost to the brim compared to Hagrid's, which had hit the bottom already, most likely more than once.

"Hermione, why don' yeh pull up a chair and have a drink with us!" Hagrid said as he began pulling a mug towards him and filling it with the same substance that they were drinking.

"You fool, she's not even of age!" Snape barked at Hagrid, performing a Vanishing Spell on the mug Hagrid was holding and conjuring up a new one. He turned around to what looked like a tea set behind him and poured the mug to the top, then handed it to Hermione.

"Pumpkin juice." He muttered, not even looking at her. "Now Hagrid, if you would kindly leave, I have some business to attend to with Ms Granger."

"Hope yeh weren' causin' him trouble, Hermione!" Hagrid said, but then laughed at his own words and said, "Well of course yeh weren', yeh never do!"

And with a sweep of happy good-byes, Hagrid swaggered out of the Snape's office.

Hermione took a sip of the pumpkin juice Snape had given her, noticing that it tasted a little off. More than likely it had been in Snape's cupboards for far too long. Not wanting to be rude, she took another sip.

"Do you know why you are here, Ms Granger?" Snape asked coldly as he surveyed her drinking.

"No, Professor." Hermione replied, her hands starting to shake slightly. _He can't know about Draco and I, not this soon …_

"Are you sure, Ms Granger? Perhaps you would like to think it over before you answer once more."

Hermione stared at him, though her thoughts did not betray her unknowing expression. "I'm sorry Professor, I don't know."

Snape glared at her. "Could it be, perhaps, because you seem to think me a fool?"

"No, Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, horrified.

"So I suppose you thought your little visit to my office the other night would go unnoticed? That I would not have realized certain ingredients of mine have gone missing---"

"But I didn't---"

"Do not lie to me, girl!" Snape cried. "You thought I would find it a mere coincidence that the night my stores are stolen from, you are out of your bed past curfew!"

"I didn't steal from you, Professor." Hermione lied, draining her pumpkin juice so that she wouldn't have to look him directly in the eye, knowing full well he was an expert Legilimens.

"Very well," Snape said. "Stick to your story. But if I find you have been lurking in my office again, stealing from my stores, you will have a much worse punishment to endure than a simple conversation. Good night, Ms Granger."

Hermione hastily put down her empty goblet and hurried out of Snape's office, shaking like mad.

Almost the moment she closed the door behind her, a sudden strangeness overcame her. Her mind felt as though it were drowning in the middle of the ocean as she struggled to take control of it. She could hardly walk straight, let alone think straight. Her vision felt blurred, and yet she could see quite clearly. She couldn't think of where she was supposed to be going, nor where she had just came from. She began to walk, to nowhere in particular, perhaps looking for a place to sit down.

Without knowing how far she had walked, she suddenly found herself in a darkened corridor. She could not tell if it was actually dark, or if it was her mind fooling her into believing it was dark as she still struggled to get control of it. But as she stumbled along the corridor, unable to walk straight, she could hear footsteps approaching her from the other direction. Her mind would not allow her to feel scared --- in fact, she felt nothing at all regarding the footsteps. She was so entranced by her mind, trying so hard to walk straight, that being unable to see even a foot ahead of her did not seem to bother her at all …

Suddenly, a hand placed itself gently on her cheek. She reached out, searching for a means of support, and found herself resting on a familiar chest …

"Draco?" she asked.

She let her hands wander as though she were not controlling them at all, and they rose to touch the strangers face as she found a sudden comfort in feeling the familiar curve of Draco's pointed nose, the sleek blond hair that she knew even by touch …

"Draco … something … something is wrong …" She said, her words sounding distant and muffled as though someone on the other side of a door were saying them.

"Shhh," he shushed softly. "It's okay."

He helped lower her to the floor, which she was grateful for as she felt more secure sitting down and leaning against the cold stone wall.

She closed her eyes, and was surprised to feel his lips press against hers as she did. She could not concentrate, could not focus on him, but still seemed to be lost within her own mind. It was as though he was kissing somebody else, for she could barely register what was going on.

However, she seemed to be kissing him back, though she did not realize it. She felt his hand rest upon her leg, but as she struggled to open her eyes, it seemed as though she did not have the power to do so. His hand moved up her leg, under her robes, but she was too preoccupied with trying to lift her eyelids that she did not seem to care.

He reached to pull her knickers off of her, and her mind began to register what was happening.

"You … you want to do it … now?" She asked, smiling a silly smile.

He kissed her neck and pushed her robes off of her, and she continued to smile though it still felt as though it were someone else whom he was kissing. Her body began to slide down the wall until she was lying on the cold floor, though she was unsure of how she had come to be in this position.

Though her eyes were closed, she felt no shock or surprise when he suddenly plunged into her. She did, however, feel the pain, seeing as her body hadn't been ready for him to enter.

Her face suddenly cringed as she said, "No Draco … no, it hurts …"

But he continued to thrust, and her mind continued to struggle as everything within it seemed hazy, everything except for the pain she was feeling as he plunged deeper still inside her, thrusting faster regardless of her wish for him to stop …

She did not know how long he had gone on for. She lost focus after the first minute or so, her concentration aimed solely at willing her mind to open her eyes so she could see what was going on. But suddenly, after not knowing how long, light swam before her eyes. She could not remember opening them … had they been open the whole time, unknowingly so in the darkness of the corridor?

Her mind quickly returned to normal as, for a fleeting moment, she saw Draco before her. But as she blinked, Draco was gone, and in his place was … Blaise Zabini?

Hermione looked down at her body as it lay on the floor, and embarrassment rose to her cheeks as she noticed her knickers at her ankles.

She hurriedly pulled them up, then reached for her robes, still trying to piece together what had just happened.

"Where's … where's Draco?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"Draco?" Blaise smirked. "Who knows? Probably in his common room where I left him."

"No," Hermione replied, shaking her head as her eyes fought to register the light that was now pouring from the lit torches. "No, he was just here. We … we were…"

"Well, I must say, I'm quite offended!" Blaise interrupted, though he showed no signs of offence in his features. "I should like to get credit when I give a shag as good as I've just given!"

"You?" Hermione asked. Then she got to her feet instantly and cried, "YOU!"

"Yes," Blaise said, smiling a truly evil smile. "Who did you think it was?"

"I thought … I thought it was Draco! It _was _Draco! He was just here! Something happened to me, he comforted me, and then we--"

"Do I suddenly seem incapable of giving comfort?" Blaise asked, still smiling. "Clearly you were overcome by a case of stress, due to what I would have thought was homework, but now I see that it must have been due to our friend Draco--"

"I was not stressed!" Hermione cried, feeling rather exposed although her robes were pulled tightly around her. "You … you did something! You jinxed me or something!"

"There is no jinx that I can put on you to make you sleep with me, unless of course it is the Imperius Curse, of which you should know is highly illegal."

"Not the Imperius Curse!" Hermione cried, frantic as the realization of her sleeping with Blaise dawned upon her. "But something! You must have done something! There is no way I would shag you! No way! No way …"

"You think I did something to you?" Blaise asked as his lips once more curled into an evil, terrible smile. "Why don't you prove it?"

Hermione pulled out her wand in an instant, but Blaise was quicker than her. Before she knew it, they both had their wands raised and pointed directly at one another, Blaise grinning as Hermione glared fiercely at him.

"Dueling in the corridors, are we Ms Granger?" A voice drawled from behind her. Hermione turned to see Snape, barely withholding his glee as he walked in on the scene. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. Now get to your dormitory!"

………………………………...

Hermione's mind was still reeling by the time she returned to her common room, and she felt exceedingly thankful that Malfoy had retired to his bedroom for the evening. She felt … contaminated. Disgusted. Repulsed by what she had just done. But surely Blaise was lying? It was Draco there, it must have been. She had _seen_ him, it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her … or was it? Something had happened to her, she had gone all funny, as though she'd been Confunded.

_Was that it? _Hermione asked herself. _Was I Confunded?_

She had no way of knowing. She still felt slightly off -- she lost her balance several times on the journey to her common room, but she could think much clearer than before, so that was a positive sign. Had Blaise Confunded her, and then took advantage of her in her weakened stage? No, he couldn't have. He was a Slytherin, yes, and he was creepy at times, but he would not stoop that low just for a shag. That was borderline rape.

Perhaps he and Draco were playing tricks on her? Maybe her earlier suspicions were true, that Malfoy was playing with her mind and did not truly care for her as he said he did.

But Hermione could not focus on all of this. The only thing she could think of was Blaise touching her … Blaise entering her in that forceful, unexpected way …

Before she knew it, she was crying. She felt so dirty, she could not even stand to look at herself in the mirror. If this wasn't a trick of Malfoy's … if Blaise _had _Confunded her on his own accord … what would Malfoy say? Surely he would not let his friend get away with something so evil. But Hermione was not even sure she could bring herself to tell him. For one, he may very well have been part of the scheme. But if he wasn't, if he had nothing to do with it, how would he react? Would he be angry at Blaise? At Hermione? But above all, Hermione just felt … embarrassed. She felt like a tramp.

_But I thought he was Draco … _she thought, tears sliding down her cheeks. _Surely you'll understand … I thought he was you …_


End file.
